Supply and Disposition of Grains in Canada

Detailed information for December 31, 2023

The purpose of these supply and disposition tables is to integrate information from various surveys and administrative sources to monitor the movement of grains and oilseeds across Canada.

Data release - February 8, 2024

• Description
• Data sources and methodology
• Data accuracy
• Documentation

Description

The supply and disposition tables show the movement of grains across Canada according to the crop year. These tables serve as an information hub used by the provincial and federal governments in decision making for their programs for farmers, major grain producers in the industry and other analysts in the public and private sectors. Further, the supply and disposition tables are also used to track grain movement for both export and domestic usage in Canada.

The data are displayed in three tables: Supply and disposition of grains in Canada, Farm supply and disposition of grains, and Supply and disposition of corn.

The farm-level table shows the supply and disposition of grain at the farm level.

The table at the national level includes trade and commercial use in addition to farm-level use. The table for corn provides data at the national level, as well as for the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and includes data from farms and the commercial sector.

Note: the crop year for all grains except corn and soybeans runs from August 1 to July 31, while the crop year for corn and soybeans runs from September 1 to August 31.

Reference period: August 1st to December 31st; August 1st to March 31st, and August 1st to July 31st (Exception: September 1st to August 31st for corn and soybeans)

Subjects

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

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The target population includes all stakeholders in the Canadian grain marketing system. This includes producers, as well as commercial grain elevators, terminals, and processing facilities operating in Canada.

Instrument design

This methodology type does not apply to this statistical program.

Sampling

This methodology type does not apply to this statistical program.

Data sources

The supply and disposition tables combine data from multiple data sources including survey data collected from respondents, as well as administrative sources. During the data integration process, data are imported, processed, validated, and aggregated from the different data source providers into the formats and levels required for processing.

Data for the Supply and Disposition tables are drawn from the following sources:

Statistics Canada:

Field Crop Reporting Series (five survey occasions per year) (record number 3401)

Data collected from these surveys are used in the Supply and Disposition tables to determine production, farm stocks, and seed use.

Monthly Miller's Survey (record number 3403) and Annual Millers Survey (record number 3443)

Data collected from these surveys are combined to provide information on human food use and commercial stocks of grains in Canada.

Monthly Crushing Operations Survey (record number 3404)

This survey is used to provide information on industrial use of canola and soybeans, as well as commercial stocks of oilseeds in Canada.

Producer Deliveries of Major Grains (record number 5275)

This program is used to provide information on deliveries of grains in Canada.

Survey of Commercial Stocks of Corn and Soybeans (record number 3464)

This survey is used to provide data on commercial stocks and industrial use of corn and soybeans in Ontario and Quebec.

Survey of Commercial Stocks of the Major Special Crops (record number 3476)

This survey is used to provide data on commercial stocks of special crops in Canada.

Grain Used for Industrial Purposes Survey (record number 5153)

This survey is used to provide data on the industrial use of grains in Western Canada.

Canadian International Merchandise Trade (Customs Basis) (record number 2201)

Data from this source, which are collected and published by the International Accounts and Trade Division of Statistics Canada, are used to determine imports and exports of Canadian grains. Exports data for the current reference month are always estimated, due to timing differences between the availability of trade statistics and that of other data sources used to produce the supply and disposition tables.

External data sources:

Canadian Grain Commission - Grain Stats Weekly report

Data from this source are used to determine commercial stocks of grain in Canada.

Error detection

During data processing, edits are used to automatically detect errors or inconsistencies that remain in the data following integration. These edits include value edits (e.g. Value > 0, Value > -500, Value = 0), linear equality edits (e.g. Value1 + Value2 = Total Value), linear inequality edits (e.g. Value1 >= Value2), and equivalency edits (e.g. Value1 = Value2). Extreme values are also flagged as outliers, using automated methods based on the distribution of the collected information. Following their detection, these values are reviewed in order to assess their reliability. Manual review of other units may lead to additional outliers identified. In general, every effort is made to minimize the non-sampling errors of omission, duplication, misclassification, reporting and processing.

The data obtained from administrative and survey sources are verified by comparison to previous reports, by preserving coherence between relevant survey programs, by supply-disposition analysis and by monitoring of industry trends.

The different tables produced for the supply and disposition tables are also compared against each other and checked for discrepancies.

Imputation

This methodology does not apply.

Estimation

This methodology type does not apply to this statistical program.

Quality evaluation

Prior to the data release, combined program results are analyzed for comparability; in general, this includes a detailed review of: general economic conditions, coherence with results from related economic indicators, historical trends, and information from other external sources (e.g. associations, trade publications, newspaper articles). Data are also verified with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, provincial economists and statisticians, as well as industry analysts, to confirm trends and identify possible errors.

Disclosure control

Statistics Canada is prohibited by law from releasing any information it collects that could identify any person, business, or organization, unless consent has been given by the respondent or as permitted by the Statistics Act. Various confidentiality rules are applied to all data that are released or published to prevent the publication or disclosure of any information deemed confidential. If necessary, data are suppressed to prevent direct or residual disclosure of identifiable data.

In order to prevent any data disclosure, confidentiality analysis is done using the Statistics Canada Generalized Disclosure Control System (G-Confid). G-Confid is used for primary suppression (direct disclosure) as well as for secondary suppression (residual disclosure). Direct disclosure occurs when the value in a tabulation cell is composed of or dominated by few enterprises while residual disclosure occurs when confidential information can be derived indirectly by piecing together information from different sources or data series.

Revisions and seasonal adjustment

There is no seasonal adjustment. Data from previous years may be revised based on updated information. The program data are not benchmarked.

Data accuracy

Every effort is made to ensure that administrative data are conceptually correct for the use to which they are put. Users should be aware that administrative data are generally compiled for an organization's own needs, and not for survey purposes. Any anomalies or inconsistencies detected are verified with the source, and where necessary, adjustments are made to reconcile data with the conceptual framework of this release. The administrative agencies used are considered to be the best source available, and data received from them is judged to be of very good quality.

Information regarding the accuracy of survey data that feed into the supply and disposition tables can be found on their respective Integrated Metadatabase pages.

Processing error may occur at various stages of processing such as during data entry and tabulation. To the maximum extent possible, these errors are minimized through careful verification of the administrative and survey data. Data analysis tools permit subject matter analysts to quickly detect apparent anomalies. As such, processing errors are considered to be minimal.

Documentation

• Surveys Used as Data Sources