.jpg)
The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) is inviting producers to take part in their Harvest Sample Program, letting them send in samples from their grain harvest to be graded. The no-cost grading helps farmers know exactly what they've got in their fields, letting them easily market their grain to sellers.
Kerri Pleskach, the program manager of analytical services at the CGC, explains how producers can take part.
"What they can do is they can sign up for our program. We will send them a package with a bunch of envelopes, which indicate what different commodities they're growing. The envelopes come in this big package. They're already sent out for this year, but they can still sign up going into November."
"Once a producer has harvested their crop, they fill this prepaid envelope up with their grain and put it in Canada Post, and it comes here to the Canadian Grain Commission. Once we receive it, our inspectors inspect it, and we will run protein on all commodities."
"Then the producer will get a preliminary report, and they will have their grade of their commodity, as well as any degrading factors and their protein content. After that, we do other analytical tests on the sample, depending on what commodity it is, and then they'll get a final report at the end with all of their analysis."
The program accepts all 21 official grains in Canada, so any grain farmer can be assured they qualify. Pleskach says the whole benefit of the program for farmers is helping them know exactly what they're growing and eventually selling.
"It gives them an idea of what they're growing each year, and it helps them be able to have some data to help them market their grain when they go to sell it. There are also benefits to the grain sector and to the CGC. This gives us an idea of the crop that's growing each year, so it's crucial for helping market Canadian grain."
"We also use the samples for evaluating the grain grading standards. So we conduct research on the grading factors to ensure that the grading factor tolerances reflect the impact on end-use functionality. So that also allows us to keep up Canada's high reputation for high-quality grain."
The CGC also does some research on any leftover grain, which includes grain quality and grain safety issues, to help support new markets for crops.
Pleskich says that uptake of the program is actually inverse to how well a crop is growing, as farmers generally know what they're growing if it's a good year.
"A few years ago, around 2016-2018, there was a bad falling number year. We got over 16,000 samples that year. After that year, it's been of great quality. Producers are growing grade one, grade two, so they know what they have in the field. We've been getting around 9,000-10,000 samples a year."
Even if a producer grows a great field that hits Grade 1, Pleskich says they'd still be open to seeing that sample for research.
People can find more information on the program by heading to grainscanada.gc.ca and going to their Harvest Sample Program page. People can also call their toll-free number, 1-800-853-6705, or email them at harvest-recolte@grainscanada.gc.ca.
Pleskich says they accept sign-ups until mid-November, with sample packages accepted until December 31st.