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PURPOSE
The Off Farm Grain Stocks surveys provide detailed estimates
of grains, oilseeds, and pulse crops stored in any commercial
facility off the farm.
COVERAGE
Off-farm stocks surveys are conducted in every State for
barley, canola, corn, flaxseed, mustard seed, oats, rapeseed,
safflower, sorghum, soybeans, and sunflowers. Grain stocks
frequently move to areas other than where produced, thus requiring
coverage by all States to fully account for all off-farm stocks.
Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota are the only States
estimating rye stocks. Austrian winter peas, chickpeas (garbanzos),
dry edible peas, and lentils are estimated in California,
Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oregon,
South Dakota, and Washington. The target population is all
commercial grain storage operations, including grain and oilseed
processing plants, terminals, and any other facilities that
store grains, oilseeds, and pulse crops (excluding peanuts
and rice) that would not be classified as a farm. Separate
rice stocks surveys are conducted in Arkansas, California,
Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Texas. Peanut stocks
are estimated for the U.S. only.
CONTENT
Operations are asked to report the quantity of grains, oilseeds,
and pulse crops on hand as of the reference date. All surveys
ask for the storage capacity of the operation. A distinction
is made between old crop stocks and new crop stocks on the
last survey of the marketing year to accurately measure carry
out stocks.
FREQUENCY
Off-Farm Grain Stocks surveys are conducted four times per
year: March, June, September, and December. Rice stocks surveys
are conducted in all six states in March, August, and December
and in California only in October. Peanut stocks surveys are
conducted monthly. The reference date is always the first
of the respective month, except peanuts which is the last
day of the previous month.
METHODS
An attempt is made to contact nearly 9,400 off-farm storage
facilities by mail, phone, or personal visit each quarter.
In some instances, company headquarters prefer to report for
multiple plants or several line facilities. Adjustments are
made for non-reporting facilities based on capacity data,
previously reported data, and relationships that exist for
reporting firms of similar size and type to ensure all stocks
are accounted for. Over 50 operations are contacted for Rice
Stocks and over 200 for Peanut Stocks
PRODUCTS
Estimates for grains, oilseeds, and pulse crops are combined
with On-Farm Stocks estimates, and published in the Grain
Stocks report and estimates for rice are released in the Rice
Stocks report, which are normally released at the end of the
month containing the reference date. The only exception is
for the December 1 reference date, which is released in January.
The Peanut Stocks and Processing reports are released near
the end of the month.
USES
Data are used by commodity markets, educational institutions,
state and federal agencies, farm and ranch operators, and
others for market assessment, planning, decision making, and
on-going research. Grain stocks are an essential component
of supply and demand balance sheets required to monitor food
security and to enhance efficient global marketing.
SPECIAL FEATURES
RELATED PROGRAMS
Crops/Stocks
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