The US quietly put together a record canola crop in 2024 – and there may be more upside ahead.
In its first official estimate of this year’s crop, the USDA last month pegged American canola production at 2.234 million tonnes, up 14% from the 2023 crop of 1.885 million, which was also the previous high. Much of the increase was due to a 14% increase in planted area to 2.76 million acres – with harvested area up 13% to a new record of 2.72 million - although the estimated average yield, at 36.2 bu/acre, was up almost a half bushel from a year ago as well.
Barry Coleman, Executive Director Northern Canola Growers Association in Bismarck, ND, said he believes strong prices and demand for canola oil from the renewable diesel industry helped to bolster US canola planted area in the spring.
According to Coleman, rotational constraints are likely to limit any further expansion of canola acres in the northeast part of the No. 1 production state of North Dakota but added that other areas still have plenty of capacity. In fact, he estimated that North Dakota canola acres could eventually top out at around 3 million to 3.5 million acres, before rotation concerns would become as issue. There is also additional expansion potential in the smaller production states as well, including Montana, Minnesota, South Dakota, and Idaho.