The 2003 wheat and durum crop is shaping up to be higher quality but lower protein than a year ago.
Early results from the Canadian Grain Commission’s annual harvest survey indicate that protein content of top grade hard red spring wheat is lower this year by almost a full percentage point.
Based on 4,189 samples analyzed up to Oct. 3, No. 1 CWRS wheat was showing an average protein level of 14.3 percent.
That’s down from 15 percent last year and 14.4 percent two years ago.
For all grades of CWRS, the average protein was 14.2 percent, down from 14.6 percent each of the past two years.
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Those numbers may decline as later-harvested samples are tested, but a grain commission official said they won’t change by much.
“They’re pretty firm numbers in the top grades,” said Ken Preston of the commission’s grain research laboratory.
“I doubt if they’ll change by more than 0.1 or 0.2 percentage points.”
The highest protein levels for CWRS are found in Alberta at 14.5 percent, followed by Manitoba at 14.2 percent and Saskatchewan at 14.1 percent.
For durum, average protein for No. 1 CWAD is 13.6 percent, down from 14.3 percent in 2002. That’s based on 1,700 samples submitted to the commission for analysis.
For all grades of durum, the average protein remained at 13.6 percent, but that’s actually higher than the all-grade average of 13.4 percent last year.
Manitoba led the way at 14.1 percent, followed by Alberta at 13.8 and Saskatchewan at 13.6.
Preston said that even though protein is down from last year, the 14.2 percent average for CWRS is actually above the long-term average of around 13.7 percent.
“It’s a good number,” he said.
“When you get too high or too low, the markets don’t like it.
“People like consistency so it’s not necessarily an advantage to have real real high protein.”
Preston also estimated that about 80 percent of the wheat and durum will fall into the top two grades, although the commission doesn’t yet have firm numbers.
“All in all it’s a very nice year in terms of grade and protein,” he said.
The commission will eventually receive between 10,000 and 20,000 samples of spring wheat and durum before issuing its final quality report.
