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Stocks of principal field crops, March 2016

May 6, 2016, Canada – As of March 31, total stocks of wheat, canola and soybeans were lower compared with the same date in 2015. Meanwhile, total stocks of corn for grain, barley and oats increased year over year, according to the latest principal field crop report from Statistics Canada.

Wheat
Wheat stocks totalled 13.8 million tonnes as of March 31, down 23.8 per cent from the same day a year earlier. This decrease resulted from a lower stock level on farms, down 28.4 per cent to 9.8 million tonnes, and a 9.4 per cent decline in commercial stocks to four million tonnes. Wheat stocks held on farms accounted for 71 per cent of total wheat stocks. Farm stock levels in Saskatchewan (-30.7 per cent) and Alberta (-30.9 per cent) recorded similar year-over-year declines.

Canola
As of March 31, total canola stocks were down 10.1 per cent from the same day a year earlier to 7.5 million tonnes. This decrease resulted from a 12.9 per cent decline in farm stocks to 5.9 million tonnes. Stocks held on farms in Saskatchewan were down 16.5 per cent to 2.8 million tonnes, while farm stocks in Alberta fell 18.9 per cent to two million tonnes. However, commercial stocks rose 2.1 per cent to a new high of 1.6 million tonnes.

Corn for grain
A larger crop of corn for grain in 2015 pushed up total stocks by 23.4 per cent as of March 31 to 7.8 million tonnes. The overall rise resulted from an increase in farm stocks, up 23.5 per cent to 5.8 million tonnes, and a gain in commercial stocks, up 23.2 per cent to two million tonnes. Farm stocks in Quebec matched the 2005 record high of two million tonnes.

Soybean
Soybean stocks totalled 1.8 million tonnes as of March 31, down 15.2 per cent from the 2015 record high of 2.1 million tonnes, despite a 3.1 per cent increase in soybean production in 2015. Farm stocks decreased 12.4 per cent from the same day a year earlier to 983,000 tonnes, and commercial stocks were down 18.4 per cent to 780,300 tonnes.

Barley and oats
Total barley stocks increased 12.1 per cent to 3.8 million tonnes as of March 31, reflecting a 15.5 per cent gain in production in 2015. Farm stocks grew 13.3 per cent compared with the same day a year earlier to 3.5 million tonnes. The commercial stock level remained relatively stable at 303,200 tonnes (-0.3 per cent).

Following a 15.1 per cent rise in oat production in 2015, total oat stocks increased 9.3 per cent to 1.8 million tonnes compared with March 31, 2015. Both farm stocks (+5.8 per cent) and commercial stocks (+37.2 per cent) were up from the same day last year.

May 6, 2016  By Statistics Canada