When it comes to blending grain, 3 and 1 don’t necessarily average out to 2.
As a result, prairie grain farmers are again being urged to exercise caution if they plan to upgrade their No. 3 Canada Western red spring wheat or lower by blending it with No. 1.
“It’s not that straightforward,” said Randy Dennis, chief grain inspector with the Canadian Grain Commission.
Blending is a complex, sophisticated process that requires detailed knowledge of the various degrading factors in a particular sample and the acceptable tolerances for the higher grade.
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“You really have to know exactly what you’re dealing with,” he said.
Dennis urged anyone considering blending to talk to experts with the CGC or grain companies and ensure samples are representative of the blended product.
A year ago, blending was all the talk in the countryside, as farmers carried over huge inventories of low quality frost-damaged wheat from 2004.
Grain quality watchdogs and grain sellers alike worried that farmers could hurt the overall quality of the 2005-06 crop if they blended too much junk with quality new crop.
This year, the warning remains, but the concern isn’t as pressing.
“I don’t think it’s going to be as big an issue this year,” said Canadian Wheat Board spokesperson Maureen Fitzhenry.
Total carryover of wheat into 2006-07 was actually higher than a year ago, and much of it is No. 3 CW red spring wheat downgraded by harvest rains in 2005.
But the quality of this year’s carryover isn’t as bad as the previous year, when frost and sprouting had wreaked havoc with the crop.
“We’re generally better positioned right now than we were last year,” said Fitzhenry.
She said that with only about 25 percent of the spring wheat crop harvested as of Aug. 21, it’s difficult to know what farmers will be dealing with when it comes time to decide on their blending plans.
“We could still have a weather event, which could change the whole picture,” she said.
