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At the end of the crop year on July 31, 2009, total stocks of major grains and oilseeds were all up from below-average levels on the same date a year earlier. Record on-farm stocks of oats were reported in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Table 1
| 2008 | 2009 | Five-year average | 2008 to 2009 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| thousands of metric tonnes | % change | |||
| Total wheat | 4 406 | 6 556 | 6 975 | 48.8 |
| Wheat excluding durum | 3 587 | 4 659 | 5 053 | 29.9 |
| Durum wheat | 819 | 1 897 | 1 922 | 131.6 |
| Barley | 1 568 | 2 843 | 2 377 | 81.3 |
| Canola | 1 462 | 1 661 | 1 490 | 13.6 |
| Oats | 950 | 1 527 | 828 | 60.7 |
| Dry field peas | 255 | 445 | 292 | 74.5 |
| Flaxseed | 167 | 227 | 198 | 35.9 |
| Rye | 35 | 128 | 102 | 265.7 |
| Canary seed | 65 | 83 | 122 | 27.7 |
| Chick peas | 92 | 67 | 46 | -27.2 |
| Mustard seed | 27 | 45 | 125 | 66.7 |
| Lentils | 51 | 32 | 203 | -37.3 |
| Sunflower seed | 12 | 22 | 19 | 83.3 |
Stocks of durum wheat higher
Total stocks of durum wheat rose considerably, up 1.1 million metric tonnes or 131.6% from July 2008 to 1.9 million tonnes.
On-farm durum stocks increased as well as commercial stocks. Farm stocks rose by 685 000 tonnes from July 2008 to 735 000 tonnes, with both Saskatchewan and Alberta returning to near-average levels.
Oat stocks up
Total stocks of oats including commercial and on-farm stocks rose 60.7% from July 2008 to a record 1.5 million tonnes. The previous high was 1.2 million tonnes reported back in 1983. The last time total stocks of oats were greater than 1.0 million tonnes was in the year 2000.
New highs for on-farm stocks of oats were reported in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where robust oat production was reported in 2007 and 2008.
Note to readers
The annual July farm survey of 14,600 Canadian farmers is a survey of field crop stocks conducted from July 27 to August 4, 2009. July stocks are a measure of agriculture year end stocks in Canada.
Data on commercial stocks of western major crops originate from the Canadian Grain Commission. Commercial stocks of corn and soybeans are estimated by a Statistics Canada sample of grain elevators in Eastern Canada and will be released on October 2 in the publication Field Crop Reporting Series: September estimate of production of principal field crops, Canada.
Data on commercial stocks of special crops originate from a survey of handlers and agents of special crops.
The data series for major crops stocks begin in 1980.
Barley stocks rise
Total stocks of barley rose to 2.8 million tonnes, up 81.3% from 1.6 million tonnes in July 2008. The July 2009 barley stocks were well above the average seen in recent years but below the peak of 5.1 million tonnes set in 1983. Both commercial and on-farm stocks were up over 70%. Total supplies were higher in this crop year as a result of an above-average harvest in the fall of 2008.
Available on CANSIM: tables 001-0004, 001-0010, 001-0017 to 001-0020 and 001-0040 to 001-0043.
Definitions, data sources and methods: survey numbers, including related surveys, 3401, 3403, 3443, 3464 and 3476.
The publication Field Crop Reporting Series: Stocks of Canadian Grain at July 31, 2009, Vol. 88, no. 6 (22-002-X, free), is now available from the Publications module of our website.
For further information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact David Burroughs (613-951-5138; dave.burroughs@statcan.gc.ca) or Karen Gray (204-983-2856; karen.gray@statcan.gc.ca), Agriculture Division.
