Kernel standards, the secret recipe for our corn data quality

It’s mid-August, which means corn harvest has started. So if you haven’t yet, put down your device, find a cookout, and get some corn on the cob.

While waiting for the start of this harvest, we’ve prepped all sorts of corny data—so after dinner, let’s comb the dessert. What’s the subject matter, kernel standards? Chicken? Read on—we’ve prepared the stats for ludicrous speed reading.

Production up in 2024, all-time high farm gate value reached

In 2024, Canadian farmers produced 198 739 tonnes of fresh sweet corn, up from 189 868 tonnes in 2023, and the largest haul since 200 470 tonnes in 2016.

Fresh sweet corn is mostly grown in central Canada. Ontario’s 106 991 tonnes accounted for over half (54.0%) of nationwide production in 2024, while Quebec contributed 74 337 tonnes, accounting for more than one-third (37.4%).

Alberta was a distant third at 8 818 tonnes (4.4%), followed by British Columbia’s 5 817 tonnes (2.9%).

The higher nationwide production numbers in 2024 come from fewer harvested hectares (16,070) than 2023 (16,533). Farmers took in a record $93.4 million for their corn in 2024, up from the previous record set in 2023 ($90.4 million).

Production and seeded area still declining long-term

Despite the uptick in 2024, sweet corn production has declined significantly in Canada as less of it has been seeded over time. The 16,859 hectares planted in 2024 was an all-time low since we started tracking the current data series in 1996, when a record 37,881 hectares were planted.

Production hit a record high of 363 309 tonnes in 1997, before dropping to 296 246 tonnes a decade later.

Most of the decline in seeding and production has happened in Ontario, which has also seen both indicators decline at a faster rate than in Quebec.

Corn for grain production in 2024 down slightly from record high in 2023

Conversely, farmers have been producing more corn for grain over the years, which is used for anything from animal feed to ethanol in fuel, to bread, tortillas and other baked products.

In 2024, farmers produced 15.3 million tonnes of corn for grain, down slightly (-0.5%) from 15.4 million tonnes in 2023, the highest tally on record since we started tracking this in 1908 (580 600 tonnes).

Production has increased over time, topping the one-million mark in 1964 (1.3 million tonnes), more than doubling that in 1971 (2.9 million), and eclipsing eight digits for the first time in 2007 (11.6 million).

There were eight year-over-year production decreases from 2007 to 2024, though these were outweighed by several significant annual gains over the same period.

Corn for silage production down from recent peak

In 2024, farmers grew 11.5 million tonnes of corn for silage, which is used to feed livestock—primarily cattle, but also pigs, goats, and sheep.

This was down slightly from 2023 (-2.1%) and from the all-time high of 14.5 million tonnes in 1975. However, production in 2024 was almost double what it was in 2000 (5.9 million tonnes).