Heavy rain and colder temperatures in the East, overly dry conditions in the West and an early snowfall in the Prairies slowed the growing season, leaving record amounts of potatoes unharvested in fields and pushing canola and soybean production to their lowest levels in years. Challenges brought on by global trade wars and diplomatic frictions between Canada and China have taken a significant toll on both exports and pricing of canola and soybeans, leaving canola farmers with a record oversupply of the oilseed. Canola production fell 8.3 per cent to 18.6 million tonnes in 2019, its lowest level since 2015. Cold temperatures and snow arrived before the crop was ready, leaving farmers to harvest just 20.6 million acres, an 8.8 per cent decline.
