The falling number test requires laboratory-like conditions, and is usually only done at selected central locations when there is a general concern about sprout damage.

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

The WCWGA’s Blair Rutter says the handling system got too small under the CWB, and he sees more competition from new elevators such as those being built by CWB successor G3.

An open market is still a work in progress

A truly open market requires transparency of information, but the veil is still being lifted

Reading Time: 5 minutes When the Canadian Wheat Board lost its monopoly in 2012, Blair Rutter predicted that it would take 10 years to adjust to an open market system. “Moving from a centrally planned system to a market economy, it takes a while,” the executive director at the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association said in an interview. “We […] Read more


Does Western Canada still need a grain transportation co-ordinator?

Does Western Canada still need a grain transportation co-ordinator?

The answer may be no, but there’s still a need for improved logistics between railways and grain companies

Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s been two years since the start of the infamous grain transportation backlog of 2013-14, but there’s still debate about whether a new organization should take over the former Canadian Wheat Board’s role as a transportation co-ordinator. “Most people like to focus on ’13-14 and say, ‘Look at the problems we created without the single […] Read more

Jim Wickett, WCWG chair

Wheat Growers build ‘top board’ performance

It’s no accident the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association gets 
high marks for the quality of its board of farmer directors

Reading Time: 7 minutes Filling board seats is never an easy task. Your top prospects may be reluctant to offer their time, especially if both spouses are busy raising a family in addition to their farming and off-farm careers. Others are already fully committed, or even over-committed in other off-farm roles. Yet the other harsh reality is that even […] Read more