Currently soybeans are the third biggest crop in Manitoba behind canola and wheat. This year a record 1.06 million acres of soybeans were insured in Manitoba along with 3.26 million acres of canola, and 2.8 million acres of all varieties of wheat combined. If one third of canola growers switched to growing soybeans, soybeans would be the largest crop in the region. In 1998 only 118 farmers insured 10,932 acres of soybeans, and within 15 years, in 2013 this number grew to over a million, up 29% from the year before which was the previous record for acreage planted. Soybean yields and prices have been competitive with canola, but soybeans are hardier, deal better with climate change as they are heat-living, and most importantly they require less fertilizer because they make their own nitrogen. According to Manitoba Agriculture Food & Rural Initiatives, in 2012 soybeans cost 24% less to grow than canola. Soybean’s variable cost was placed at $176.45 per acre compared to $231.80 for canola with the biggest difference being fertilizer costs – $11 per acre for soybeans and $83 per acre for canola.
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