Estimated Historical Crop Yields Across Canadian Soil Landscapes

Canada's estimated historical crop yields at the Soil Landscapes of Canada (SLC) polygon level, harmonized from provincial statistics, EPIC model outputs, and Prairie insurance data. The dataset supports national-scale agricultural modeling and reporting for seven major crops and three forage types.

Use Cases

• Calibrate agricultural models using harmonized SLC-level yield estimates for seven major crops.
• Analyze national-scale yield trends for forage types like alfalfa and improved pasture derived from EPIC model outputs.
• Model agri-environmental indicators by integrating yield data from provincial, model, and Prairie insurance sources.
• Support spatial analysis for the Census of Environment using yield estimates allocated to SLC polygons.

Strengths

• Data harmonized from three complementary sources: provincial statistics, EPIC model outputs, and Prairie insurance datasets.
• Provides SLC-level estimates for seven major crops and three forage types, enabling detailed geospatial analysis.
• Created by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in support of Statistics Canada's Census of Environment, ensuring authoritative methodology.

Limitations

• Yields are estimated through allocation and modeling, not direct measurement, introducing potential methodological bias.
• Temporal coverage and specific row count are unknown, limiting analysis of historical trends and dataset scale.
• Primary focus on national-scale modeling may reduce granularity for local or farm-level applications.

Provenance

Source

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Collection Method

Combines provincial yield statistics allocated to SLC polygons, EPIC model forage outputs, and Prairie insurance data, followed by harmonization.

Time Range

Historical, specific range unknown.

Freshness

Last updated March 2026.

Geography

Canada, at Soil Landscapes of Canada (SLC) polygon level.