A laker is a long, shallow draft ship designed to transport cargoes within the inland water system of the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Large seeds are considered foreign material in some classes of grain. Large seeds include domestic and wild seeds that remain on top of the No. 4.5 round-hole sieve.

Load lines are the centimeter graduations by which the level of grain in a railcar is measured.

Manufactured products are materials other than grain cleanings and includes materials such as malted, crushed, or ground grain which cannot be assigned a grade. Inspection may be performed on request. Certificates issued have only the composition endorsed on the back, providing the identification of the components is unquestionable; for example, 80% crushed wheat, 15% crushed barley, 5% whole wheat. On the face of the certificate, Manufactured product is indicated.

A marine leg is a mechanical device used to offload bulk grain from the hold of a vessel, normally from a laker into a transfer elevator.

Matter other than cereal grains is a type of foreign material. It includes large seeds and seeds of such grains as buckwheat, peas, corn and beans, and may include coarse vegetable matter.

Midge damage is found mostly in wheat, although it has been detected in barley, rye, and some grasses.

The only part of the plant damaged is the developing seed. When a kernel of grain is attacked either it will not develop or it will develop as a shrivelled, deformed kernel. Infestations of the wheat midge can significantly reduce yield. They are most severe when rainfall is high during the spring or summer.

See insect damage.

Mildew is a fungal condition that affects wheat, barley and a number of other grains. It develops in unthreshed kernels of grain, usually under conditions of excessive moisture. It should not be confused with the disease powdery mildew, which attacks the leaves, reducing yield.

Downy mildew, caused by Peronospora manshurica, can sometimes form a white coating on soybeans. These are spores of the fungus. They do not affect the processing or safety of the seed, but can affect the appearance.

Mineral matter refers to stones, earth pellets, and fertilizer pellets that may be found in samples of grain.

A sample of grain is identified as moist if the moisture content exceeds the damp range established for that class of grain.

Moisture content is a measure of the water content of grain.

Grain that is within acceptable limits of moisture is referred to as a straight grade. With increasing moisture content, grain may be referred to as tough, damp, moist and wet. See Chapter 2, Moisture testing.

Mudball beans are beans or soybeans completely covered with caked-on mud.

Mycotoxins are poisonous substances produced by some species of fungi.

For example, several Fusarium species can cause a disease called fusarium head blight. One of the more important species of fusarium, Fusarium graminearum, can produce several mycotoxins, most commonly, deoxynivalenol or vomitoxin, which, when present in feed grain, is distasteful and can reduce the rate of weight gain in some animals.

In corn, Fusarium graminearum, also called Gibberella zeae, causes the disease gibberella ear rot. Besides deoxynivalenol, another compound known as zearalerone may be formed. This compound has estrogen-like effects, especially in pigs and cattle.

Non-Board grain is grain marketed through the open market system. Such grain includes domestic feed wheat and barley, rye, oilseeds and specialty crops.

See hard vitreous kernels (HVK).

Shipments of grain whose dockage content falls outside of allowed limits. See commercially clean.

An objectionable odour is one not normally associated with grain, such as skunk, sour, musty, oil, or gas. Heated or fireburnt odours are identified specifically and not included in the general category of objectionable odour.

The Off-Grades of Grain and Grades of Screening Order is issued by the Canadian Grain Commission. It provides the authority for the application of the grading terms rejected, sample, tough,damp, moist, and wet, and defines grades of screenings.

The Off-Grades of Grain and Screenings Order is available through the Canadian Grain Commission web site.

An official carlot unload sample is a sample taken by a Canadian Grain Commission grain inspector or by any sampling device authorized by the Canadian Grain Commission as a railcar is unloaded at a terminal elevator.

An official grading is one conducted by an inspector of the Canadian Grain Commission on an unofficial sample.

An official inspection is done when an official sample of grain is graded by a Canadian Grain Commission inspector.

An official sample of grain is drawn under the direct control or continuous supervision of an authorized employee of the Canadian Grain Commission.

An official weighing is done on approved equipment under the supervision authorized by the Canadian Grain Commission or in a manner authorized by the Canadian Grain Commission.

Oilseeds include flaxseed and solin, canola and rapeseed, soybeans, safflower and
sunflower seed.

Where a shipper requests special cleaning of a carlot of grain at a terminal or transfer elevator, and the elevator manager agrees, dockage material will be analysed for the presence of grain. The percentage and grade of any grain contained in the dockage will be reported and elevator stocks will be adjusted on the basis of the analysis. Agreement between the shipper and unload elevator must be conveyed to the Canadian Grain Commission in writing prior to the analysis being performed.

The following list is used to assign reasons for Sample grades.

1. Sample Account Admixture, Contaminated grain
2. Sample Salvage
3. Sample Account Fireburnt
4. Sample Account Excreta
5. Sample Account Fusarium
6. Sample Account Ergot
7. Sample Account Odour
8. Sample Account Rotted
9. Sample Account Heated
10. Sample Account Mildewed
11. Sample Account Damaged
12. Sample Account Damage and Foreign Material
13. Sample Account Dehulled
14. Sample Account Stained Kernels
15. Sample Account Sprouted
16. Sample Account Admixture
17. Sample Account Splits
18. Sample Account Lightweight
19. Sample Account Stones
20. Sample Account Mixed Colours

A cereal grain mixed into another type of cereal grain is considered foreign material. The presence of other cereal grains affects the processing quality of the main grain.

For grading purposes, spelt and Kamut® are considered as Other cereal grains in samples of wheat, rye, barley, oats and triticale.

Other matter refers to inseparable material excluding cereal grains, large seeds, wild oats, stones, mineral matter, ergot and sclerotinia.

Grain which is out of condition has deterioriated in storage. Grain that is damp, heating or spoiling in storage requires special treatment such as drying or aeration to preserve its quality or to prevent further deterioration.

Paragraph 76. (1) of the Canada Grain Act specifies that operators of licensed terminal or transfer elevator must inform the Canadian Grain Commission if they find grain that is or is likely to go out of condition. The Canadian Grain Commission may inspect the grain. The Canadian Grain Commission tells the operator how to treat or dispose of the grain. If the grain has been special binned, the elevator operator may recover the costs of treating or disposing of the grain from the owner of the grain.