AUSTRALIAN Bureau of Statistics estimates found Western Australia dominated canola production for the 2019-20 year.
The ABS did work using an experimental formula based on existing government and industry data in combination with satellite crop maps.
It found Australian canola growers produced over 2 million tonnes of canola for the 2019-20 harvest with a farm gate value of $1.2 billion.
Western Australia was the home of seven of the ten largest growing statistical regions used by the ABS in the study, with Esperance, on the south-east coast, the largest with 267,000 tonnes of canola produced, more than double the next largest area.
The ABS used statistical area level 2s to collect data.
The level 2 statistical regions are medium-sized general purpose areas built up from the smaller statistical area level 1s.
ABS officials said the purpose of the areas was to represent a community that interacts together socially and economically.
Rob Walter, director of ABS Agricultural Statistical Solutions said the new modelling would be beneficial to growers in the long run by virtue of cutting out the number of surveys farmers are required to fill in.
"This new method of gathering data means that over time the ABS will be able to reduce the number of survey forms sent to farmers," Mr Walter said.
He also said there would be advantages in terms of the availability of more up to date information.
"The new method will also enable the ABS to release canola data at the Statistical Area 2 level more frequently, without the need to conduct the agricultural census" he said.
Outside Esperance, other leading canola producing regions included the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, with 120,000 tonnes and Kojonup, to the west of Esperance in southern WA, with 118,000 tonnes.
Ararat, in south-western Victoria, was the largest Victorian producer and fourth overall with 104,775 tonnes.
In spite of being the third largest state for canola plantings, NSW did not have a single area in the top ten producing regions.
Michelle Handley, executive officer of the Esperance-based South Eastern Premium Wheatgrowers Association, said canola was a popular crop choice in the area.
"Wheat and canola rotations are very common," Ms Handley said.
"With the prices for canola looking exceptionally good farmers are working it into the rotation perhaps in place of a pasture or a pulse phase," she said.
"People are still very much sticking with their fixed rotations but where there is some flexibility and the paddocks are suitable they will definitely be having a good look at canola."
Ms Handley said there was still the potential for the region to grow more canola.
"We're seeing more plantings in the low to medium rainfall zones, especially in years with a good early start where farmers are more confident.
"The other area I think we will see some gains is in terms of yield improvements, we are getting better at growing the crop, managing inputs and targeting higher yields," she said.
With prices in excess of $1000 a tonne combined with early autumn breaks that suit brassica crops, canola plantings have soared in recent years.