Survey of Commercial Stocks of Corn and Soybeans (CSCS)

Detailed information for March 31, 2013

This survey collects data on commercial elevator stocks of corn and soybeans and the industrial use of corn.

• Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s)
• Description
• Data sources and methodology

Description

This survey collects data on commercial elevator stocks of corn and soybeans and the industrial use of corn. The estimates produced are used in national supply-disposition analyses to verify production and farm stocks. The data are also used by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and by grain analysts in the public and private sectors.

Reference period: Industrial use of corn: September to December; September to March; September to August. Stocks are as of the last day of the reference period.

Collection period: Collected during the two weeks following the reference period.

Subjects

• Agriculture and food (formerly Agriculture)
• Crops and horticulture

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The target population consists of grain elevators and industrial users of corn in Eastern Canada as determined by a registry of elevators maintained by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, updated and provided to Statistics Canada annually. The survey frame excludes elevators licensed by the Canadian Grain Commission.

The target population consists of grain elevators, processors, and exporters with stocks of corn for grain and soybeans, as well as industrial users of corn, in Ontario and Quebec.

This is a sample of all known companies that maintain stocks, as determined by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It excludes elevators licensed by the Canadian Grain Commission. The total sample size for this survey is approximately 95-100 units.

Instrument design

The questionnaire was developed by subject matter specialists through consultation with industry experts. Questions will be changed, added or removed as the need arises. Required changes are usually identified through such means as subject matter specialist research and changes in market trends.

Sampling

This is a sample survey with a cross-sectional design.

A registry of elevators maintained by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is updated and provided to Statistics Canada annually. A few elevators are located in Quebec but most are located in Ontario. The survey frame consists of about 250 elevator company headquarters and contains information on the elevator capacity, type of elevator (industrial user, feed manufacturer and country elevator) and contact information. Any elevators licensed by the Canadian Grain Commission are removed from the frame. The frame selected for the December survey is also used for the March and August surveys. The frame is then stratified by type of elevator and by capacity. Industrial users and feed manufacturers are grouped in a take-all stratum. The rest of the sample is selected randomly within each of the four strata. The sample comprises of approximately 100 elevators.

Data sources

Responding to this survey is mandatory.

Data are collected directly from survey respondents.

The data are collected through a mail-out/mail-back process, while providing respondents with the option of telephone or other electronic filing methods. Follow-up procedures are applied when a questionnaire has not been received after a pre-specified period of time: respondents are phoned or sent a facsimile or e-mail to remind them to send their questionnaire in order to reach the survey target response rate.

View the Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s).