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“Producers should be taking samples of each load as the crop is placed into storage to create a representative sample for each bin,” explains Neil Blue, provincial crops market analyst with the Alberta government. “The goal is to have a sample that has the same characteristics as the large volume of product that it represents. Producers will then have a sample that can be used to shop around with various potential buyers.”
One of the services of the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) is the Harvest Sample Program, which is a voluntary program for grain producers to get an assessment of their grain’s quality. The CGC sends participating producers a personalized kit, including postage-paid envelopes for the samples. Producers fill the envelopes with representative crop samples and mail them to the CGC.
“This program gives producers a free, unofficial grade on samples from the current year’s crop. Producers can submit samples of newly harvested crop prior to November 30 and obtain base grade information for their marketing at no charge. This program also helps the Canadian Grain Commission and grain buyers to better know, in a general way, the quality of the crop.”
The Harvest Sample Program can be used for cereal grains, pulses, canola, flaxseed, mustard seed and soybeans. The grading report includes the following valuable information that a producer can use in crop marketing:
- unofficial grade for each sample submitted (unofficial because samples are not collected by a CGC inspector)
- dockage assessment on canola
- protein content on barley, beans, chickpeas, lentils, oats, peas and wheat
- oil, protein and chlorophyll content for canola
- oil and protein content and iodine value for flaxseed
- oil and protein for mustard seed and soybeans
- falling number for wheat and rye
- vomitoxin (deoxynivalenol or DON) levels for wheat, corn and barley and oats
“Individual reports remain confidential, but after collecting all the grade information, the CGC assembles and publishes aggregated data on crop quality, which is useful to both crop sellers and buyers in their trade decisions,” explains Blue. “The individual grade information from the CGC, although not usually shared with buyers, is valuable to producers as a base grade to help market their crops.”
Sign up for the Harvest Sample Program.
Contact
Connect with Neil Blue for more information:
Phone: 780-422-4053
Email: [email protected]
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