Future outbreaks of fusarium could cost farmers more money because of stricter grading rules going into effect next crop year.The Canadian Grain Commission announced last week that tolerances for fusarium will be tightened Aug. 1, 2010, for all but two Western Canada wheat classes.Tolerances for those two classes – CW red winter and CW general purpose – will be tightened Aug. 1, 2011.No changes will be made in CW extra strong.In the CW red spring class, the tolerance for No. 2 will be reduced from one percent to 0.8 percent, while No. 3 and No. 4 will be reduced from two percent to 1.5 percent. No. 1 CW will remain unchanged at 0.25 percent.The new, lower tolerances mean producers experiencing an outbreak of fusarium will likely have to take a lower grade, and therefore a lower price, than is now the case.“It could very well be that a No. 2 CW last year could be degraded to a No. 3 next year if it exceeds the tolerance,” said Randy Dennis, the commission’s chief grain inspector.A complete list of the new tolerance levels for all classes can be found on the grain commission’s website at www.grainscanada.gc.ca/ by clicking on news releases.“The new tolerances are designed to meet market needs but also to be fair to producers when fusarium is a grading factor in their wheat,” commission chair Elwin Hermanson said in announcing the changes.The commission is tightening tolerances because its researchers found existing standards did not accurately reflect the level of the harmful mycotoxin deoxynivalenol (DON) in the wheat kernel.The relationship between fusarium damage and DON has changed over the years.Wheat kernels displaying a certain degree of physical damage from fusarium were found to have a higher level of toxicity than had been the case in the past.Dennis said the grain commission’s laboratory has been monitoring the situation to ensure Canadian exporters are meeting customer requirements and delivering a safe product for export and domestic consumption.Keystone Agricultural Producers president Ian Wishart said his organization supports strict standards because that’s what export customers expect.However, that doesn’t make it easier for farmers.“We realize they need to maintain a strict quality standard, but it’s really tough for farmers with fusarium because it’s pretty well beyond their control,” he said.Pesticides can control fusarium, he added, but some years the weather is such that they don’t work.Wishart said the ultimate solution is to breed new varieties resistant to fusarium.
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