Canadian barley stocks ended the 2025-26 marketing year sharply lower despite a much larger crop, while oat inventories increased amid higher supplies and weaker exports.
A Statistics Canada stocks report on Wednesday showed national barley stocks as of July 31 – ending stocks for the 2025-26 marketing year – at 940,000 tonnes, down 24.7% from 1.249 million a year earlier. Meanwhile, oat stocks increased 13.8% to 577,000 tonnes.
Both crops were considerably larger in 2025. Canadian barley production reached 9.725 million tonnes, compared with 8.144 million in 2024, while oat production increased to 3.920 million tonnes from 3.358 million.
In its August supply-demand update, Agriculture Canada had projected 2025-26 barley ending stocks at 870,000 tonnes and oat stocks at just 307,000 tonnes.
On-farm barley stocks fell 37.2% to 624,000 tonnes on July 31 compared to a year earlier, while commercial inventories increased 23.9% to 316,000 tonnes.
StatsCan said barley deliveries off farms surged 34.6% to 5.5 million tonnes as of July 31, while exports climbed 47.1% to 4.2 million. Barley use, largely for animal feed, increased another 7.9% to 5.5 million tonnes.
Oats showed the opposite pattern, with the larger 2025 crop contributing to higher year-end inventories. StatsCan said total oat supply increased 9.8% to 4.4 million tonnes, while exports declined 6.2% to 2.4 million.
Commercial oat stocks climbed 36.7% to 335,000 tonnes, more than offsetting a 7.3% decline in on-farm inventories to 243,000.
