Canada Markets

We are seeing early signs of a late crop-year push to move grain to export positions. In week 47, western port unloads (Vancouver, Prince Rupert and Thunder Bay) jumped from 451,800 metric tons (mt) to 623,700 mt, the highest volume unloaded in seven weeks while 6.8% higher than the three-year average for this week.

The largest crops made up the largest share of this volume, with 376,300 mt of wheat, 63,500 mt of durum and 121,200 mt of canola accounting for 90% of the week's unloaded volume.

This is the largest weekly unloads seen for wheat and durum in eight weeks while the largest canola volume unloaded in six weeks.

By port, the 485,400 mt unloaded at the Port of Vancouver is up 56% from the four week moving average, while the 34,900 mt unloaded at Prince Rupert is down 4.6% from the four-week average and the 103,400 mt unloaded at Thunder Bay is 22.8% higher than the four-week average.

This pace of movement may continue, if not increase. The week 47 Weekly Performance Update from the AG Transport Coalition reports demand for cars for loading in week 47 at 7,109 hoppers, up from 6,631 cars in the previous week and the highest demand seen in eight weeks, 4.6% higher than the three-year average for this week.

Early in week 49, the AG Transport Coalition's Daily Network Status Report for July 3 shows western port unloads of 1,096 cars, while the cumulative daily average early in the week is 1,041 cars, up 22% from the same period in the previous week. West Coast unloads are largely behind the increase, up 35% from the same period in week 48.

Cliff Jamieson can be reached at cliff.jamieson@dtn.com

Follow him on Twitter @Cliff Jamieson

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