File photo of grain bins in Saskatchewan. (Chinaface/iStock/Getty Images)

Most Canadian grain stocks tighter than a year ago

Reading Time: 2 minutes For many of Canada’s major crops, their holdings came in lower than a year ago, as Statistics Canada released its stocks of principal field crops as of March 31 report. There were declines in all wheat, durum, oats, corn, lentils and peas, but there were increases for barley and canola while soybeans were relatively steady.

(Photo courtesy Canary Seed Development Commission of Saskatchewan)

Canary seed growers optimistic for 2024

Reading Time: 2 minutes David Nobbs, chair of the Canary Seed Development Commission of Saskatchewan and pulse merchant for Purely Canada Foods, said exports are on pace for 110,000 to 120,000 tonnes in 2023-24, compared to 150,000 to 160,000 in a typical year. Statistics Canada (StatCan) projected 125,000 tonnes of exports for 2023-24, compared to 147,000 the previous year.



File photo of a lentil crop before harvest in Saskatchewan. (Bobloblaw/iStock/Getty Images)

Canadian pulse plantings to rise in 2024

Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian lentil area is forecast to be up by 4.4 per cent on the year, at 3.829 million acres, according to the estimates of principal field crops report released by Statistics Canada on March 11. After conducting a survey of producers in December and Janyar, StatCan forecast pea area in 2024 at 3.122 million acres which would be up by 2.4 per cent on the year.





Grain bins in a Saskatchewan field. (MysticEnergy/iStock/Getty Images)

Less Canadian wheat, more canola on hand to end 2023: StatCan

Some had anticipated even larger on-farm canola stocks, given slower export pace

Reading Time: 2 minutes Canadian wheat stocks at the end of 2023 were considerably tighter compared to the previous year, with oats, corn and pulse crops also seeing supply reductions, according to the latest stocks report from Statistics Canada, released Feb. 8, 2024. However, canola, barley and soybean stocks as of Dec. 31, 2023, were higher compared to the previous year.



Photo: Thinkstock

Canadian potato output rises in 2023 

Alberta vaults to first place in provincial potato production

Reading Time: 2 minutes At 32.063 million hundredweight of potatoes this year, Alberta vaulted from third to first place as it improved on the previous year’s crop of 26.813 million. Manitoba moved into second spot from third with its harvest of 29.760 million cwt. following last year’s 26.139 million. Prince Edward Island saw its output reduced in 2023 to 25.813 million cwt. from 27.789 million. In 2023, the trio combined for 68 per cent of Canada’s total potato harvest of 128,801 million cwt. 

ICE March 2024 canola as of Dec. 8, 2023, with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

ICE weekly outlook: Canola likely to keep sliding back 

With larger crop, trade likely to be overwhelmed by deliveries, analyst says

Reading Time: 2 minutes There is a rather significant bearish outlook for canola for the rest of December, according to Jerry Klassen of Resilient Commodity Analysis. He said a large part of this was generated by the Statistics Canada production report released on Dec. 4.