Omnigence’s latest research examines how climate change could expand Canada’s corn and soybean growing regions by 2100.
Using present-day climate data and an intermediate emissions scenario, the analysis estimates that the area meeting the heat requirements of the earliest grain corn varieties could increase from approximately 740,000 square kilometres today to 2.85 million square kilometres by 2100. The area suitable for mainstream grain corn based on heat requirements could rise from roughly 210,000 to 1.4 million square kilometres.
Across the Prairies, the boundary for early grain corn could move 450 to 600 kilometres north. Established farming regions are projected to gain roughly 650 corn heat units, potentially giving farmers greater flexibility to add higher-margin crops such as grain corn and soybeans to traditional cereal and canola rotations.
The report emphasizes that heat availability does not equal agricultural suitability. Soil quality, water availability, frost variability, photoperiod and crop breeding will continue to determine where these crops can be grown economically. The more practical implication lies within Canada’s existing agricultural regions, where longer and warmer growing seasons could increase crop optionality and farmland value over time.