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or grain exporting
nations like Canada, identifying
grain quality for sale is a vital
step in the successful marketing of a
crop. Being able to segregate the crop
by quality, and being able to maintain
those segregations through the handling
system and into the end user’s control,
facilitates the export of grains as well
as price determination. In Canada, this
system was written into legislation in
1874 and is currently regulated by the
Canadian Grain Commission (CGC), a
federal government agency, under the
Canada Grain Act
.
The CGC ensures certain criteria are
met in relation to grading: Commercial
relevance, an efficient process with
consistent, reproducible results, and an
acknowledgement of grain quality by
farmers from growing regions across the
country.
If a system is well run, it will
theoretically give buyers a quick and
true look at protein content, as well as
any and all factors they may take into
consideration during their particular
manufacturing process. This takes a
coordinated effort on all sides, whether
dealing with the huge volumes in 2013 or
the unpredictability of 2014.
This past harvest, farmers brought the
conversation online, talking up storms
and posting photos on social media and
agriculture forums discussing degrading
factors—from freak snowstorms and
diseases to low test weights and
atypical grain appearances—all of which
underscore the need for an accurate,
professional grading system.
A farmer will typically first meet the
grading system head-on when delivering
grain to an elevator.
“In the post-Canadian Wheat Board
(CWB) era, any grain being delivered
to a primary elevator is usually already
designated for a sale,” said Daryl
Beswitherick, programmanager, quality
assurance standards and reinspection, at
the CGC. “Elevators are now responsible
to buy farmers’ grain, not just handle it on
behalf of the CWB, so the onus is on the
elevator to ensure the grain received is
going to meet the specifications set out
in the sale.”
The grain will then be loaded into rail
cars and shipped to port or to a domestic
or U.S. end user.
“The CGC will provide a ‘Certificate
Final’ for all grain loaded onto a vessel,”
said Beswitherick. “If specifications are
required in the contract or a particular
grade and protein, the CGC will ensure
the load meets the specifications.”
Beswitherick explained that peas
and malting barley, for example, are
most often sold by “shipment by
specification,” whereas wheat is sold by a
regulatory grade.
“Buyers know what a No. 1 Canada
Western Red Spring is,” explained
Beswitherick. “The grade describes the
functionality of the wheat and how it will
perform for the buyer.”
The CGC is a key part of Canada’s
grain grading system with very specific
mandates legislated by government:
•
Maintaining the grain-grading
guide, the complete reference on
the grading of grains, oilseeds and
pulses, and gathering input from
the Eastern and Western Grain
Standards Committees to revise
and update the guide annually.
Both committees are made up of
representatives of stakeholders such
as growers, grain handlers and end
users, and changes are made on the
basis of consensus.
•
Preparing standard and guide
samples for the industry on an
annual basis and as necessary. For
example, the 2014 mildew problem
has not been encountered for two or
three years. Guide samples refresh
the standards for grading mildew for
those on the front lines.
•
Official weighing and inspection
at shipping ports, and issuing
Certificate Finals to certify that
cargoes meet the specifications of
the sale contracts.
•
Performing a monitoring function
using the expertise of the Grain
Research Laboratory and Industry
Services branches. Example
outcomes of monitoring include:
Italy’s approval of protocols for
pre-shipment testing of ochratoxin
(OTA) in wheat and durum for
export; China’s acceptance of
ongoing shipments of peas based
on the CGC’s statistics for selenium
levels; and the ongoing collection
of pesticide residue data, which
provides assurances to buyers of
Canadian grain.
Winter
2015
grainswest.com
27
by Andrea Hilderman • Illustration by LANDLAND
F