WINNIPEG – The Canadian Grain Commission will establish the quality of the new crop this year using samples from producers rather than elevators.
Phil Williams, who is in charge of the commission’s annual harvest survey, said about 40,000 randomly selected farmers will be asked to help with the project.
The commission will save time and money by working with farmers rather than elevators, said Williams. Elevator samples tend to be small, so more of them had to be analyzed.
Samples from farmers will also make the survey more accurate, Williams said. The commission will be able to get samples from all parts of the Prairies, so results will be representative and will show how grades are distributed.
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The survey is used to prepare crop quality reports, which are sent to customers before grain is exported so they’ll know what to expect. Williams said the commission is collecting 16 types of samples, including wheat, barley, oats, rye, canola, flax, peas, lentils and sunflowers.
“Farmers have been phoning us to say that they’re not growing wheat this year, and that they’re passing their (sample) envelope on to their neighbor. We’ve been finding out all sorts of fascinating things.”
