Canada: Barley stocks up 43.9% as of March 31

As of March 31, 2023, total stocks of wheat, canola, barley, oats and soybeans were all up compared with the same date in 2022, Statistics Canada said in its latest stocks of principal field crops report.

In general, stocks of principal field crops increased compared with the same date one year earlier because of higher production, most notably in Western Canada, where improved growing conditions resulted in better yields.

Wheat
Total wheat stocks were up 18.2% year over year to 13.3 million tonnes as of March 31, 2023. On-farm stocks rose 31.0% to 9.3 million tonnes, while commercial stocks decreased 4.1% to 3.9 million tonnes.

Deliveries of wheat off farm rose 43.5% to a record 24.0 million tonnes, surpassing the previous record of 22.7 million tonnes set in 2021. Strong global demand contributed to higher wheat exports, which climbed 73.1% to 17.3 million tonnes.

Barley
Barley stocks increased 43.9% year over year to 2.7 million tonnes as of March 31, 2023. Both on-farm stocks (+37.5% to 2.1 million tonnes) and commercial stocks (+74.1% to 559 000 tonnes) rose compared with the same date one year earlier.

Domestic use—largely for feed—increased 32.5% to 5.0 million tonnes, as higher supply possibly resulted in livestock producers returning to using barley for feed.

Canola
Stocks of canola were up 15.3% year over year to 6.0 million tonnes as of March 31, 2023. The increase was attributable to an increase in on-farm stocks (+36.4% to 4.7 million tonnes), offsetting a decrease in commercial stocks (-26.2% to 1.3 million tonnes).

Higher canola production in 2022 (+32.2%) led to an increase in total canola stocks. Canola exports for this period were up 52.5% to 6.2 million tonnes as of March 31, while industrial use, mainly for crushing, rose 13.8% to 6.6 million tonnes.

Corn for grain
Total stocks of corn for grain were down 2.2% year over year to 9.1 million tonnes as of March 31, 2023. On-farm stocks (+8.4%) rose, while commercial stocks (-16.2%) fell compared with the same date in 2022.

Imports of corn for grain fell 72.3% compared with the same date in 2022, likely because of reduced demand for corn for grain as animal feed in Western Canada. Increased production in the Prairies in 2022 resulted in higher supplies of feed grains, such as barley and oats, which decreased the need to import corn for grain as an alternative source of animal feed.

Soybeans
Soybean stocks rose 6.0% year over year to 2.0 million tonnes as of March 31, 2023, driven primarily by on-farm stocks, which rose 12.2% to 1.1 million tonnes, as commercial stocks edged down 0.7% to 901 000 tonnes.

Oats
Stocks of oats more than doubled, rising 114.5% year over year to a record 2.6 million tonnes as of March 31, 2023, because of higher production (+80.3%). On-farm stocks climbed 145.0% to 2.3 million tonnes, while commercial stocks rose 21.5% to 368 000 tonnes.

Domestic disappearance (e.g., human use, seed use, industrial use, loss in handling and animal feed, waste and dockage) rose 83.1% to 1.2 million tonnes because of higher animal feed use compared with the same date in 2022.

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