Stocks of principal field crops, December 31, 2024
Released: 2025-02-07
As of December 31, 2024, total stocks of wheat, corn for grain and soybeans were up, while those of canola, oats and barley were down, compared with the same date in 2023.
Wheat stocks rise on higher production
Total wheat stocks rose 0.9% year over year to 24.5 million tonnes as of December 31, 2024, largely because of higher production (+6.1% to 35.0 million tonnes) compared with one year earlier. On-farm stocks rose 3.4% to 20.9 million tonnes, offsetting lower commercial stocks, which decreased 11.7% to 3.5 million tonnes.
Off-farm deliveries of wheat fell 0.4% to 15.3 million tonnes. Wheat exports increased 0.9% to 10.8 million tonnes and remained above the five-year average for the period, reflecting strong global demand for Canadian wheat.
Canola stocks fall on strong exports
Total stocks of canola were down 19.2% year over year to 11.4 million tonnes as of December 31, 2024. The decrease was attributable to on-farm stocks declining 23.5% to 9.9 million tonnes, while commercial stocks rose 28.3% to 1.5 million tonnes.
Total opening supply for the 2024/2025 crop year was down 2.7% compared with one year earlier to 20.7 million tonnes, as lower production in 2024 (-7.0% to 17.8 million tonnes) offset higher total beginning stocks (+47.9% to 2.7 million tonnes).
Exports of canola reached their highest level for the period since 2020, rising 80.8% year over year to 4.4 million tonnes as of December 31, 2024. This increase was possibly attributable to favourable prices and concerns over potential future trade barriers.
Industrial use, mainly for crushing, rose to record levels for the second consecutive year, up 7.5% to 4.9 million tonnes, as the sector continued to expand to meet demand for renewable energy.
Corn for grain up despite lower imports
Total stocks of corn for grain were up 0.2% year over year to 11.3 million tonnes as of December 31, 2024. On-farm stocks rose 9.8% to 7.9 million tonnes while commercial stocks fell 16.8% compared with the same date one year earlier.
Imports of corn for grain fell 52.0% as domestic use—largely for animal feed—fell 9.7% to 5.8 million tonnes.
Soybean stocks up
Soybean stocks rose 10.9% year over year to 4.2 million tonnes as of December 31, 2024. On-farm stocks increased 34.3% to 2.8 million tonnes, while commercial stocks fell 18.0% to 1.4 million tonnes.
Barley stocks decrease
Barley stocks decreased 9.2% year over year to 5.0 million tonnes as of December 31, 2024. Both on-farm stocks (-8.1% to 4.6 million tonnes) and commercial stocks (-22.5% to 324 000 tonnes) fell compared with the same date one year earlier.
Domestic use—largely for feed—decreased 2.9% to 2.9 million tonnes.
Oat stocks fall
Stocks of oats decreased 4.4% year over year to 2.2 million tonnes as of December 31, 2024. On-farm stocks were down 3.5% to 1.9 million tonnes, while commercial stocks decreased 10.0% to 316 000 tonnes.
The decline in oat stocks as of December 31, 2024, was led by lower carry-over for the current crop year (-65.3% to 442 000 tonnes), offsetting higher production in 2024 (+27.0% to 3.4 million tonnes).
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Note to readers
Data on stocks of principal field crops held on farms come from the December Farm Survey of about 8,200 Canadian farmers conducted from December 13, 2024, to January 17, 2025. The 2024 Field Crop Survey – December also has two questions pertaining to permanent on-farm grain storage capacity and the percentage of grain stored on farms using temporary storage methods. These data are available in Table 32-10-0003-01.
Data on commercial stocks of western major crops originate from the Canadian Grain Commission. Data on commercial stocks of special crops originate from a survey of handlers and agents of special crops.
National supply-disposition tables for the major grains and special crops are published jointly with the current release on stock levels and are available in online data tables 32-10-0013-01, 32-10-0014-01 and 32-10-0015-01.
Stock data are subject to revision during the two years following their initial publication.
An easy-to-print chart, Crop Reporting Survey at a Glance, which provides an overview of our survey cycle, is now available.
For the latest information on the Census of Agriculture, visit the Census of Agriculture portal.
Readers are invited to visit the Agriculture and Food Statistics Portal for more data related to agriculture and food published by Statistics Canada.
Contact information
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; infostats@statcan.gc.ca) or Media Relations (statcan.mediahotline-ligneinfomedias.statcan@statcan.gc.ca).
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