The 5 crops growing Manitoba's economy by billions

(File Photo)

A new study shows Manitoba’s five top crops sprouted billions of dollars in wages and thousands of jobs in the province over the past three years.

The data comes from a GlobalData study commissioned by the Manitoba Crop Alliance (MCA). It assessed the impact of Manitoba-grown wheat, not including durum, barley, grain corn, sunflower and flax on the province’s economy.

According to the study, these five crop types averaged about $6.9 billion in three years, 28,000 Manitoba jobs and $2.5 billion in wages.

Wheat accounted for the biggest share of total revenue, at 66 per cent, as well as total jobs, at 69 per cent.

The grain corn sector had a husky economic impact, as well, averaging about $1.2 billion a year. It peaked in 2019/2020 at $1.3 billion.

Over 3,680 full-time equivalent jobs were supported by the grain corn sector, the study found.

The flax sector averaged about $89 million per year and peaked in the 2021/2022 marketing year at around $113 million. The sector equates for roughly 400 full-time equivalent jobs, the report says.

Meantime, sunflower crops averaged $125 million a year, peaking in the 2021/2022 marketing year at around $154 million.

The study was modelled after similar work done by Cereals Canada, tracking revenue and wages associated with Manitoba wheat, barley, durum and oats.

That study found Manitoba’s cereal grain farming sector generates $3.2 billion of economic impact and over 15,000 jobs.

Cereal grain processing, meantime, adds $1.88 billion of economic impact and 8,200 jobs, the organization found.

Data from both reports can be found on the MCA and Cereals Canada’s websites.