Wheat is the major crop grown in Canada. The southern areas of the Prairie Provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta produce about 95 percent of all Canadian wheat (Peterson, 1965). The winters are long and cold, and summers are short and hot. Rainfall is limited and variable in distribution, and droughts are common. Low precipitation restricts yield but is an important factor in producing grain that is high in protein and of high baking quality. Because of its quality, Canadian HRS wheat has a high export demand by countries needing to improve the baking properties of their flour products.
Due to the severe winters in the Prairie Provinces, most of the wheat produced is HRS. A small amount of HRW wheat is grown in southern Alberta along with some irrigated soft white spring wheat. Soft white winter and a small amount of SRW wheat are grown in the eastern provinces. Durum wheat, an important export commodity, is grown on about 5 percent or less of the area in the Prairie Provinces.
Canada exported an average of 84 percent of its wheat in the period 1993-1995. Average wheat consumption during that period was 269 kg/caput, compared with 125 kg/caput in the United States (Table 1.1).