Barley Stocks Edge Higher; Oats Fall by More than One-Quarter

Sep 09, 2025

Canadian barley stockpiles as of July 31 were a bit heavier compared to a year earlier, while oats stocks were markedly lighter.

Tuesday’s Statistics Canada stocks report pegged July 31 barley stocks at 1.249 million tonnes, up 8.4% from the previous year’s stocks of 1.152 million and the highest for the date since 2017 at 2.122. Meanwhile, July 31 total oat stocks fell 24.3% from a year earlier to 507,000 tonnes, the lowest since July 2022 at 333,000.

StatsCan attributed the rise in total July 31 barley stocks to heavier on-farm inventories, which were estimated at 994,000 tonnes, up 13.2% from a year earlier. Barley stocks in commercial hands declined, falling to 255,000 tonnes from 273,000 the previous year.

Deliveries of barley off farm decreased 6% to 4.1 million tonnes as of July 31, while exports fell 7.2% year over year to 2.8 million tonnes, StatsCan said. Barley used largely for feed purposes fell 2.6% to 5.1 million tonnes.

For oats, commercial stocks rose 3.4% to 245 000 tonnes, while on-farm stocks fell 39.6% to 262 000 tonnes.

Click here to see more...

Video: Why Invest in Canada’s Seed Future? | On The Brink: Episode 3

Darcy Unger just invested millions to build a brand-new seed plant on his farm in Stonewall, Manitoba so when it’s time for his sons to take over, they have the tools they need to succeed.

Right now, 95% of the genetics they’ll be growing come from Canadian plant breeders.

That number matters.

When fusarium hit Western Canada in the late 90s, it was Canadian breeders who responded, because they understood Canadian conditions. That ability to react quickly to what’s happening on Canadian farms is exactly what’s at risk when breeding programs lose funding.

For farmers like Darcy, who have made generational investments based on the assumption that better genetics will keep coming, the stakes are direct and personal.

We’re on the brink of decisions that will shape our agricultural future for not only our generation, but also the ones to come.

What direction will we choose?

On The Brink is a year-long video series traveling across Canada to meet the researchers, breeders, farmers, seed companies, and policymakers shaping the future of Canadian plant breeding. Each week, a new story. Each story, a piece of the bigger picture.

Episode 3 is above. Follow Seed World Canada to catch every episode, and tell us: Do you think the next generation will have the tools they need to success when they takeover? How is the future going to look?