A study conducted for Cereals Canada says wheat, barley, durum and oats pack a major economic punch.
The study estimates that cereal production, and industries associated with it, collectively have an economic impact of $68.8 billion, and that more than 370,000 full-time- equivalent jobs are supported by the four crops.
Wheat and barley are the big contributors, both because they account for most of the production and because the baking and beer sectors are so large, said the study by British consulting firm LMC International.
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But it said there are a host of other sectors including biofuels, feed milling, transport and other areas of food processing such as “starch milling … and growing areas like oat milk.”
