Farmers will be working with a new grain grading landscape for some of their crops this harvest, the Canadian Grain Commission has said.
The CGC says the changes, announced June 12, will better meet the needs of the domestic grain sector and global buyers in the 2024-25 crop year.
“The Canadian Grain Commission values stakeholder input and is implementing these changes based on feedback from the sector. They will support continued growth and Canada’s reputation as a dependable source of high-quality grain,” said David Hunt, chief commissioner of the CGC in a news release.
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The change follows consultation with sector stakeholders and members of the Western and Eastern Standards Committees.
Highlights of the shift include new variety designation lists for food barley, updates to the assessment of seed coat discolouration in soybeans and a reformatting of the Official Grain Grading Guide to make it more user friendly.
New variety designation lists
Food barley varieties stand apart from malting or feed barley varieties due to the distinct desired quality features like high beta-glucans, the CGC said.
The commission will create variety designation lists for food barley in both Eastern Canada (set to take effect July 1) and Western Canada (taking effect Aug. 1). This will ensure Canadianproducers and the agriculture sector can realize the benefits of developing and growing these varieties, the CGC said.
Soybean seed coats
As part of its grain grading modernization project, the Official Grain Grading Guide will be updated to clarify the assessment of seed coat discolouration in soybeans, effective Aug. 1. The changes include updates to definitions and grade determination tables for factors related to soybean staining. The CGC will also add new photographs to the web version of the guide to assist in evaluation.
Table reformatting
New grade determination tables will be clearer, more user friendly and accessible, according to the CGC.
Effective Aug. 1, grain grades will be moved to column (vertical) format and grain grading factors will be listed in row (horizontal) format. No grading factors or tolerances will change. The change will be to the table’s formatting only.
New and previous versions of the tables will both be available in the online version of the Official Grain Grading Guide for a minimum of six months to aid the transition.
Under the Canada Grain Act, the CGC is responsible for establishing and maintaining Canada’s grain grading system.
The Canadian Grain Commission’s Official Grain Grading Guide is a complete reference on the grading factors of grains, oilseeds and pulses. Standardized grading factors is meant to ensure producers are fairly compensated for their grain and maintain Canada’s trading reputation.
A full list of the 2024-2025 changes can be found on the CGC’s website.
