This week, the Irish Farmers Journal is visiting Grain Farmers of Ontario, based in the southern Ontario region of Canada.

Grain Farmers of Ontario is the largest commodity organisation in the province and represents some 28,000 barley, maize, oat, soya bean and wheat farmers.

The crops they grow cover around 2.4m hectares of farmland across the province, contributing over €6.1bn in economic output and are responsible for over 40,000 jobs in the province.

Over the next few days, we’ll be visiting numerous farms, focusing on all aspects of Canadian grain production.

Ontario grain production in numbers

On average, Ontario farmers produce 15m tonnes of barley, maize, oats, soya beans and wheat. The majority of grain crops grown in Ontario are spring crops planted in April, May and June, and harvested in October and November.

Winter wheat is the only main crop to be planted in autumn and harvested the following July/August.

In terms of farm size, they vary quite significantly. Large farms would be classed as 4,000+ ha, while medium-sized farms range from 400ha to 4,000ha. However, smaller-sized farms of less than 400ha are also common.

Let’s take a closer look at the crops grown.

Wheat: Wheat is the third largest field crop grown in Ontario, behind soybeans and corn. Each year Ontario produces on average 1.5m-2m tonnes of wheat on 430,000ha.

Ontario has a diverse range of winter and spring wheat crops, including soft red winter, soft white winter, hard red winter and hard red spring.

The main class grown is soft red winter wheat, with about 80% of production going to this.

Barley: Barley production in Ontario is relatively small compared with other parts of Canada. On average, 111,000t are produced on 37,000ha each year. This represents just 2% of Canada’s overall production.

Virtually all of the barley produced in Ontario is used for domestic purposes, with animal feed being the largest market.

Oats: Ontario oat production is also relatively small compared with the other crops. Production quantities are generally around 72,000t on 30,000ha. The vast majority of oats in Canada are produced on the prairies, led by Saskatchewan.

Maize: Grain maize is the second largest crop in terms of acreage, but it's the largest volume crop. Farmers produce on average 8-9m tonnes of maize on 870,000ha.

Ontario produces 63% of Canada’s grain maize. Over 90% of the corn produced in Ontario is used domestically with the main market being animal feed, followed by ethanol and industrial uses.

Soya beans: Soya beans are the largest field crop. On average, 1.2m hectares are planted each year, producing 3.5m-3.8m tonnes. The commodity soybeans are destined for oil crush markets, while the food grade soybeans are destined for export markets and the development of various soy foods.

Unlike barley, corn, oats and wheat, the majority of Ontario soybeans are exported, with 59% of Ontario soybeans destined for international markets.

Canadian coverage

Follow @StephenrobbFJ for more coverage on our visit to the Grain Farmers of Ontario and keep an eye on Irish Farmers Journal online.