About 61 percent of Canada Western Red Spring Wheat (CWRS) samples submitted to the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) are grading Number One.
The top quality numbers were in the 80 percent range in September, but more samples are now coming in from areas that experienced poor harvest weather.
“We are seeing the percentage of Number Ones (samples) start to decline as expected,” said Daryl Beswitherick, CGC program manager quality insurance.
Sixteen percent of CWRS is grading number two, with approximately 10 percent of samples in the feed wheat category.
“It is surprising how well the crop did hold up, considering all of the snow and wet weather for an extended period of time,” said Beswitherick. “A lot of the crop is holding at number two or number three, which is much better than feed wheat.”
Eighty percent of canola is grading number one, seven percent is number two, nine percent is number three and four percent in the sample grade.
The lowest quality canola samples have higher green seed counts that cause elevated chlorphyll levels. Many of those samples are from late maturing crops in northwest Saskatchewan and northern Alberta.
“There are pockets with some elevated counts where we are seeing 20 or 25 percent distinctly green.”
Number one canola has to be under two percent green seed.
About 12,000 samples have been submitted to the CGC Harvest Sample program. Beswitherick says that is about 25 percent higher than usual because producer wants more information on their crop during challenging weather years.
Producers send in samples to the CGC and in return get detailed information on protein and oil content, chlorophyll levels in canola, as well as DON and falling numbers for wheat.
The Grain Commission uses the information to inform export customers about Canadian crop quality in a given year.
There is no cost to the producer and samples are accepted until the end of the calendar year.
More information can be found at:
https://www.grainscanada.gc.ca/quality-qualite/hsp-per/hspm-mper-eng.htm