Canadian Soybean Market Insights 2025

Soybean Acres and End Use

Soybean acreage reached approximately 5.6 million acres across Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec in 2025, remaining relatively stable compared with 2024. Manitoba recorded its highest soybean acreage on record, while Quebec also reached a record level despite a decline in Ontario acreage.

Nearly all soybean acres, 98.7%, were planted with certified seed, representing approximately 5.5 million acres.

Oil/crush varieties accounted for 86% of certified soybean acres, while food-grade varieties represented 14%, virtually unchanged from 2024.

Food-grade soybean acres remain concentrated in Ontario and Quebec. Food-grade varieties represented approximately 23% of Quebec soybean acres and 19% of Ontario soybean acres, compared with less than 1% in Manitoba.

Soybean Herbicide Trait Adoption

Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® remained the leading herbicide trait in 2025, accounting for 44% of certified soybean acres. The trait continues to dominate the Manitoba market while facing increasing competition in Ontario and Quebec.

Enlist E3® continued its rapid expansion, increasing certified acres by more than 50% from 2024 to capture 36% of the market. Adoption increased across all three provinces, making it the fastest growing herbicide trait platform in the study.

Conventional varieties, largely associated with food-grade production, accounted for 14% of certified soybean acres, similar to 2024.

XtendFlex® remained a relatively small segment of the market at 4% share but continued to grow, increasing certified acres by approximately 37% from 2024.

What Matters Most in Selecting a Soybean Variety

High yield and high return on investment remain the two most important factors influencing soybean variety selection. In 2025, high yield accounted for 25% share of preference, followed by high return on investment at 22%.

These two attributes have consistently ranked as the most important factors over recent studies. Many agronomic characteristics, including weed control, disease resistance, emergence, standability, maturity and drought resistance, are important because they contribute to the broader grower objective of improving yield, quality and profitability.

Results in a high quality/grade of crop ranked third in 2025, followed by effective weed control options. Regional differences exist, with effective weed control receiving greater emphasis in Manitoba while high quality/grade is relatively more important among Quebec growers.

Resistance to soybean cyst nematode remains the lowest priority attribute overall.

Variety Satisfaction

Canadian soybean growers continue to express strong overall satisfaction with the soybean varieties they planted in 2025, although the results suggest that growing conditions influenced perceptions of performance and value.

Overall, 76% of variety users were satisfied with their soybean variety, while only 8% were dissatisfied. The highest satisfaction ratings were recorded for maturity, quality/grade, emergence, standability and weed control performance, indicating that today’s soybean genetics continue to deliver consistent agronomic performance across many key characteristics.

Compared with the previous satisfaction study conducted in 2023, overall satisfaction declined modestly while dissatisfaction increased for overall performance, yield, return on investment and quality/grade. The most notable change occurred for drought resistance, where dissatisfaction increased from 7% in 2023 to 15% in 2025.

The widespread dry conditions experienced across many soybean-growing regions during 2025 likely contributed to this change. While growers expressed lower satisfaction with drought resistance, the results should be interpreted in the context of seasonal weather conditions rather than as an indication of declining soybean genetics.

Growers also became considerably more critical of seed cost. Net dissatisfaction increased from 8% in 2023 to 23% in 2025, reflecting the reality that when weather reduces yield potential and profitability, the cost of seed receives greater scrutiny even though it represents only one component of overall production costs.

Information Sources in Decision Making

Soybean growers were asked which information sources they use when making soybean seed variety decisions, as well as when those sources are used during the decision-making process.

The accompanying chart summarizes the overall use of information sources during the soybean variety decision-making process.

Previous results on the grower’s own farm, seed dealers, company seed guides, variety test plots and trials, other farmers/neighbours and crop consultants remain the most widely used sources of information when selecting soybean varieties.

Agricultural magazines and newspapers, agricultural websites, soybean processors and indoor/outdoor farm shows are each used by approximately one-half of soybean growers during the decision-making process.

The results demonstrate that soybean growers rely on a broad mix of personal experience, trusted advisors, company information, independent trials and agricultural media before selecting a variety.