A canola crop partially in swath near St. Adolphe, Man. in September 2023. Pic: Dave Bedard

Should you believe boots on the ground or satellites in the sky on Canadian canola production?

Expert’s Radar: It looks like StatCan’s newer high-tech monitoring protocols won the battle this past crop year

Questions remain over just how much canola was grown in Canada a year ago, and whether the satellites and computer models now producing most estimates are as reliable as ground-level surveys, given the data’s weight on canola prices.

Canola flowers in Sturgeon County, Alberta, in July 2025. Photo: Zak McLachlan

Canola market stuck in a downturn

The final quarter of 2025 could be tough time for canola prices, and the Canadian farmers trying to sell the oilseed

The final quarter of 2025 could be tough time for canola prices, and the Canadian farmers trying to sell the oilseed