Crop returns in the coming year look much more promising for some crops than others.
Each year at the Crop Production Show, the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture releases its Crop Planning Guide for the upcoming year. The guide details all the variable costs of growing each crop including seed, fertilizer and crop protection products as well as fixed costs such as machinery depreciation, machinery investment and land investment.
Based on forward contract prices and other information, a price projection is made for each crop. The calculation of net returns is based on top yields at the 80th percentile of the provincial average and there’s a calculation based on average yields. The top performers for 2024 based on the Sask Ag analysis are large green lentils, green peas, kabuli chickpeas, durum, brown mustard and red lentils. All have profit potential even if yields are only average. The worst performing crops with losses per acre are spring wheat and flax with the biggest losses coming from feed barley and malting barley.
Copies of the Crop Planning Guide are available at the Sask Ministry of Ag booth at the Crop Production Show as well as regional offices. The guide will also be posted on-line. Producers are urged to use the worksheets in the guide or the online calculator to input their own numbers.