How grain grades change

Grain grades are not changed throughout the year

Changes to the grading system occur after the Eastern Grain Standards Committee and Western Grain Standards Committee have researched, discussed and approved the change, and after the Regulations in the Canada Grain Act change. Grade changes are usually introduced at the beginning of the new crop year. They involve the introduction of new grades, the removal of grades, or changes in tolerances and specifications within the grades.

Grades are developed as a way of segregating levels of quality within types of grain. Customers choose from the level of quality that meets their end-use needs. When customers express concerns about the specific quality of Canadian grain grades, the Canadian Grain Commission carries out research and, after consultation with producers, marketers and processors, proposes changes to the Western Grain Standards Committee.

Here's an example of a grade change in wheat. In 2001, the Western Grain Standards Committee recommended measures to protect the bread making quality of Canadian wheat when sprout damage is widespread. Before the Western Grain Standards Committee considered this change, the Canadian Grain Commission researched how the No. 2 and 3 grades of Canada Western Red Spring wheat performed within new tolerances proposed for sprout damage. On August 1, 2001, following a change in the regulations, tolerances came into effect for severe sprout damage in the No. 2 and 3 grades of Canada Western Red Spring wheat. Tighter tolerances for total sprout-damaged kernels in those grades also came into effect.

Standard samples change from year to year

While grades change rarely, standard samples may change slightly each year to reflect the specific environmental conditions of the growing year. A standard sample is a sample of grain that visually represents the minimum quality for each grade of grain that will reach the marketplace in a given year. Visual quality factors include frost, mildew and green or immature. Each fall, the Western Grain Standards Committee meets to review standard samples created by the Canadian Grain Commission for that crop year.

Depending on the harvest, the Canadian Grain Commission may prepare a new standard sample for a given grade. For example, when frost damage is predominant during the harvest and mildew damage is minor, a standard sample may have more frost-damaged kernels and fewer mildew-damaged kernels. If mildew damage is predominant during the harvest, Canadian Grain Commission inspectors may include more mildew-damaged kernels in the standard sample. Either way, the grade does not change. When Canadian Grain Commission inspectors put together standard samples, they keep them within the tolerances and specifications for a given grade. In this way, processing qualities for each grade of grain remain the same.

Before you deliver, contact the Canadian Grain Commission

The Canadian Grain Commission grades submitted samples for a fee at all Canadian Grain Commission service centers. Our submitted sample service provides unofficial grades to farmers. Unofficial grades are given on samples that are taken without the supervision of a Canadian Grain Commission grain inspector. If you want to know the grade of your grain, you can take a 750-gram sample from your bin and get it tested at any Canadian Grain Commission service center. The grade represents the sample, not necessarily the grain in your bin. We grade the following crops for a fee: barley, beans, buckwheat, canola, chick peas, corn, fababeans, flaxseed, lentils, mixed grain, mustard seed, oats, peas, rapeseed, rye, safflower seed, solin, soybeans, sunflower seed, triticale, and wheat.

Call: 1-800-853-6705
Fax: 1-204-983-2751
Email: contact@grainscanada.gc.ca

Summing up

Grain grades, specifications and tolerances, and standard samples are tools used for visual grading. Grain grades predict end-use quality. They do not change arbitrarily throughout the crop year or from year to year. They are changed to meet the needs of customers. Before a grade is set, the Canadian Grain Commission investigates how grain performs within specific tolerance ranges. In this way, grades are precise, consistent and reliable.