Statistics Canada put some numbers Friday on the extent of the damage caused by spring flooding on the Prairies.

Wheat production in Western Canada is expected to fall by 15.5 per cent this year compared with 2009, it said.

Flooding washes out a section of the Trans-Canada Highway near Maple Creek, Sask., in June. Heavy rains led to the highest unseeded acreage on the Prairies since 1999, StasCan reported Friday. (Terry Super/Canadian Press)

The federal agency said the heavy flooding during the planting season is expected to set back total wheat production on the Prairies to 20.5 million metric tonnes.

Harvested area is expected to decline by 1.3 million hectares.

StatsCan said summerfallow — land on which no crop will be grown during the year — increased in the West to the highest level since 1999, at 4.8 million hectares.

That was an increase of 93.9 per cent from 2009. In Saskatchewan, unseeded acreage is estimated to be up 135.9 per cent from the earlier year.

Saskatchewan farmers estimated their wheat production will fall by 25.7 per cent while producers in Manitoba expected a drop of 20.5 per cent.

Alberta output is expected to rise 4.9 per cent due to anticipated better yield per hectare from the previous year.

Prairie farmers expected to harvest 10.7 million tonnes of canola, a drop of 977,400 tonnes, or 8.4 per cent, from the 11.7 million tonnes reported in 2009.

StatsCan said farmers in Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba predict record soybean production due to an expected new high in harvested area and robust yields.

Soybean production in Quebec is anticipated to reach a new high of 730,000 tonnes.