Imagine having a clear, weekly snapshot of which ports are signing contracts, volume of grain movement and shifts in global demand. Saskatchewan ag groups say this kind of visibility could sharpen the marketing strategies of Canadian farmers, improve risk management and produce stronger outcomes. In today’s fast-paced marketplace, farmers have limited information on their grain’s ultimate destination once it enters the supply chain until weeks or months later. They may be unaware of potential changes in supply and demand until it’s too late to take advantage.

When barley germinates prior to harvest or in the bin it can cause significant problems for the maltster to achieve a high-quality malt product. Maltsters generally reject barley that exhibits significant pre-harvest sprouting. The livestock industry also typically discounts pre-sprouted feed barley.

The invisible fungal mycotoxin ochratoxin-A, or OTA, can spoil grain under high moisture and temperature conditions. Though it develops exclusively in stored wheat, oats, barley and other grains, OTA is produced by Penicillium verrucosum, a naturally occurring soil fungus.

Scientists continue to do their part in the fight against nasty cereal diseases. A Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) team has completed an innovative three-year study that will allow for faster recognition and identification of rust and Fusarium types.

Grain companies and certain industry groups would like to see Canadian Grain Commission’s (CGC) outward inspection practice halted. They insist it is a duplicate service, as these companies typically hire independent firms to complete grain inspections. Is it a matter of “double trouble” or “twice is nice?” It depends whom you ask.

Using high-tech chemical analysis tools, Canadian Grain Commission researchers are examining wheat at the molecular level to better understand how gluten proteins vary from one variety to the next. Their aim is to reveal how these previously hidden variations affect dough and baking qualities.

Launched by the Wheat Initiative, an international research organization, the 10+ Wheat Genome Project has unlocked the genetic code of 15 wheat varieties. Curtis Pozniak, USask professor and director of the institution’s Crop Development Centre, led the project, which was funded by numerous organizations including the Alberta Wheat Commission and carried out by scientists in several countries.

Following a generally cool, sometimes too wet, sometimes too dry growing season, an unhappy portion of Alberta’s 2019 grain crop was snowed under and overwintered in the field.

Every farmer will experience it
at some point. Making a grain
delivery at their local elevator, a sinister sample downgrades the entire load of a crop so dutifully grown.

Esther Salvano assumed directorship of the Canadian Grain Commission’s Grain Research Laboratory in July of 2019, bringing with her an affinity for the strong science-based programs and policies the agency maintains.