The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) announced several grain grading changes for the 2024-25 crop year to better meet the needs of the domestic grain sector and global buyers.
“The Canadian Grain Commission values stakeholder input and is implementing these changes based on feedback from the sector. They will support continued growth and Canada’s reputation as a dependable source of high-quality grain,” said David Hunt, Chief Commissioner of the CGC in the June 12 news release.
Following consultation with sector stakeholders and members of the Western and Eastern Standards Committees, highlights of the changes include new variety designation lists for food barley, updates to the assessment of seed coat discolouration in soybeans and a reformatting of the Official Grain Grading Guide to make it more user friendly.
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Backgrounder: Full list of 2024-2025 crop year changes
New variety designation lists for food barley
Food barley varieties are unique and different from malting or feed barley varieties due to the distinct quality features desired for food, such as high beta-glucans, said the CGC on its changes. To ensure Canadian producers and the agriculture sector can realize the benefits of developing and growing these varieties, the CGC will create variety designation lists for Barley, Canada Eastern Food, which will take effect on July 1, 2024, and Barley, Canada Western Food, which will take effect on August 1, 2024.
Updates to the assessment of seed coat discolouration in soybeans
As part of its grain grading modernization project, the Official Grain Grading Guide will be updated to clarify the assessment of seed coat discolouration in soybeans, effective on August 1, 2024. The changes include updates to definitions and grade determination tables for factors related to soybean staining. The CGC will also add new photographs to the web version of the guide to assist in the evaluation of seed coat discolouration.
Table reformatting in the Official Grain Grading Guide
Grade determination tables will be changed to be clearer, more user friendly and accessible. Effective August 1, 2024, grain grades will be moved to column (vertical) format and grain grading factors will be listed in row (horizontal) format. This change will be to the formatting only and won’t change any grading factors or tolerances. The new and previous versions of the tables will both be available in the online version of the Official Grain Grading Guide for a minimum of six months to help with the transition.
Under the Canada Grain Act, the CGC is responsible for establishing and maintaining Canada’s grain grading system.
The Canadian Grain Commission’s Official Grain Grading Guide is a complete reference on the grading factors of grains, oilseeds and pulses. Standardized grading factors ensures that producers are fairly compensated for their grain and helps maintain Canada’s reputation for high-quality and safe grain, which benefits the Canadian agriculture sector and all Canadians.
