Reading Time: 8 minutes A proposal by the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) to add two grading factors to its list of parameters is stirring considerable debate, mostly among members of the western Canadian food value chain, but also in the east. The two factors revealed in a document published by the CGC late last year are falling number (FN) […] Read more
Guess who’s paying for new grain grading?
New CGC regulations would add DON and falling number to Canada’s grade specifications
Grain grading revamp may add falling number, DON as factors
Reading Time: 3 minutes Two significant grain specs that aren’t yet factors for a crop’s official grade are now under consideration to join that official list. The Canadian Grain Commission on Monday put out a call for “grain sector stakeholders” to submit their views before May 10 on a proposal for falling number and deoxynivalenol (DON) to both become […] Read more
Better than meets the eye?
Canada’s quality-control system still has a lot of support, but some are calling for grades to be determined by machines, not the human eye
Reading Time: 4 minutes Is that No. 2 CWRS just as good for milling and baking as a No. 1? Or does that No. 1 CWRS have some quality damage that can’t be seen with the naked eye, making it no better than a No. 2? The answer could be yes in both cases, sometimes, in cases that might […] Read more
If you want to dispute a grain grade
If you don’t like the grade at the elevator, you can appeal to the Grain Commission, but most farmers choose to shop around for the best deal
Reading Time: 5 minutes It’s their legal right under the Canada Grain Act — if farmers don’t like the grade their elevator manager offers, they can appeal to the Canadian Grain Commission for an official ruling. But not many do. “In 35 years of buying grain, I’ve only had it once or twice with guys that I’ve dealt with,” […] Read more
Use your knowledge to your advantage
You know the quality of your grain. Use your knowledge to maximize profits
Reading Time: 3 minutes Pay attention to what you are seeing and hearing at the elevator and from the neighbours in regards to the grade and quality of grain coming off combines this fall. This will help you understand what’s out there and where your production fits into the big picture. Is your quality and protein above or below […] Read more
Three steps to make your best grain grade deal
Here's how you can help maximize your profits when making your next grain sale
Occasionally producers make sales agreements with grain companies, then find their grain downgraded when they deliver it to their buyer later in the year. This can happen for numerous reasons. Grain companies may have aggressively over-bought early in the year, causing them to lose money and readjust their grain grading later in the year. Producers[...]
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Wheat quality conundrum
Changes to the marketing system make providing consistent shipments more difficult than under the days of the CWB
Reading Time: 4 minutes It was in 2012 that the first complaints began to trickle in. Buyers long accustomed to high-quality Canadian wheat started expressing disappointment in the quality of their shipments. From nearly a tonne of peas in a 25-tonne wheat shipment to lower-than-expected protein levels and grade divergences, over the next few years the first quiet questions[...]
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Grain grading, and the science behind falling number
The test is an effective way to determine sprout damage in wheat
Reading Time: 3 minutes Pre-harvest sprouting or germination of wheat triggered by wet weather during the end stage of new-crop maturity can lead to poor end-product quality. The falling number test is one effective and objective way to determine the extent of sprout damage in a wheat sample. “Farmers are especially interested in falling number when they come to[...]
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Quality issues with some wheat crops, but it’s not all bad
With 2014 in the bin, there may be pricing opportunities as the trade turns to blending to hit grade specs
Reading Time: 5 minutes Just over a year ago, Bruce Burnett, the Canadian Wheat Board’s head of weather and crop research, stood in front of the 2014 Cereals North America conference and spun the unlikely tale of a late harvest that delivered a large and high-quality crop. Rolling the clock forward to this fall, Burnett again took the podium,[...]
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A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
