Quality of western Canadian canola 2019

Oil content

For Canola, No.1 Canada, the 2019 oil content was 44.6 %, significantly higher than the 2018 average (44.1%) (Table 1). This 2019 average is slightly higher than the 5-year average (2014-2018) of 44.4% (Table 1, Figure 5).

This year, samples from Saskatchewan graded Canola No. 1, Canada showed the highest oil content average at 45.1%, followed by samples from Alberta-Peace River (44.2%) and Manitoba (43.9%) (Table 3). The oil content of individual Canola, No.1 Canada samples harvested in 2019 by producers across western Canada ranged from 38.3 to 50.8% in Manitoba, 36.0 to 51.0% in Saskatchewan and 37.0 to 51.9% in Alberta-Peace River (Table 3).

Oil content for Canola, No. 2 Canada (44.4%) was slightly lower than for Canola, No. 1 Canada (44.6%). Oil content for Canola, No. 2 Canada samples from western Canada ranged from 38.5 to 50.6% (Table 3). This year the oil content averages for Canola, No. 3 Canada and Sample grade are 44.7% and 43.7%, respectively.

Oil content is influenced by both genetics and environment. For any known canola variety, hot and dry growing conditions will give canola seed with lower oil content when compared to cool growing conditions. The overall cooler growing conditions in 2019 compared to the very dry and hot conditions observed during the 2018 growing seasons (especially in the southern part of Alberta-Peace River) are responsible this year for the noticeable higher oil content averages observed this year compared to the 2018 averages. This year again, the southern part of Alberta-Peace River showed the lowest oil content averages, 42.1 and 43% in crop districts No.1 and No. 2, respectively. Samples graded Canola, No.1 Canada from crop districts 7 to 11 in Manitoba also showed lower oil content averages than the Canadian average, 41.5 to 43.2%.

The oil content mean of commercially clean canola exports of Canola, No.1 Canada was 43.8% for the December 2019 exports. They averaged 43.7% for the August-November 2019 exports (Table 6). The oil content for last year’s shipping season for commercially clean cargoes of canola averaged 43.3% and 43.2% for the non-commercially clean exports.

When compared to oil content of the harvest samples, the commercially clean and the non-commercially clean exports of Canola, No.1 Canada had lower oil content averages due to the dilution from the dockage. Harvest samples are completely cleaned (0.00% dockage) whereas the dockage averages for the Commercially Clean up to December 2019 exports were 1.83%. Last shipping season, dockage for the commercially clean exports averaged 1.73% (Table 6).

It is expected that the mean oil content of Canadian exports for the 2019-20 shipping season will be higher than for last shipping season, in the 43.5% range.