Canadian Grain Commission | Weekly updates on the quality and protein level of spring wheat and durum will be filed as they are harvested
Beginning this month, the western Canadian grain industry will receive weekly updates on the quality of this year’s new wheat crop.
The Canadian Grain Commission will provide weekly information on the quality and protein content of red spring and durum wheat crops as they are harvested.
The information will be collected through the commission’s Harvest Sample Program and updated every Monday, provided an adequate number of samples have been submitted.
Information on red spring wheat will be divided into 10 production regions.
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Data on durum will be divided into four regions.
Additional data, including test weight, falling number and ash content, will also be provided after samples have been collected and analyzed.
In previous years, the grain commission did not begin releasing data on the quality of Western Canada’s wheat crops until October or November.
The early release will allow the grain industry to assess crop quality in a more timely fashion, the CGC said.
“We used to start releasing protein content data from the red spring and amber durum harvest in Western Canada in October and released other quality parameters in November,” said chief commissioner Elwin Hermanson.
“In response to the open market for wheat, we are making all the preliminary data for each crop region available to everyone to use as they wish.”
Twylla McKendry, CGC’s program manager of analytical services, said releasing grain quality data earlier in the year will help grain companies market this year’s crop and give them a better idea of the type of wheat being harvested.
“We thought this might benefit the industry by doing it this way,” McKendry said.
“This should give us an earlier indication of what localized quality is.”
McKendry said the commission is considering similar changes for other crop types, including oilseeds and pulses, but will likely wait for industry feedback before making any decisions.
“After we do this exercise, we’re going to be asking for feedback at the end of the year from industry to see if there’s something we could do … better,” she said.
As of last week, the CGC had re-leased preliminary data from two crop regions in Manitoba.
Protein content for red spring wheat harvested in southeastern and southwestern Manitoba was averaging 13.9 percent and 14.3 percent respectively based on early sample returns.
Industry analysts have suggested that protein content in the Manitoba red spring wheat crop looks to be higher than normal.
McKendry said Sept. 5 the CGC had analyzed a small number of samples, but it is still early to make definitive conclusions about overall protein content of this year’s crop.
As of Sept. 4, Manitoba’s cereal harvest was 85 to 100 percent complete, according to the provincial agriculture department’s weekly crop report.
Weekly wheat quality updates from the CGC harvest sample program can be viewed online at bit.ly/OblVRW or by visiting the commission’s website at www.grainscanada.gc.ca/ and clicking on the link for grain quality.
