Eastern Standards Committee recommendations from April 11, 2008

Standard samples

The Eastern Standards Committee recommended a grading print that shows purple mottling in Canada soybeans. The photographic guide reflects the maximum allowable limit of purple mottling.

Standard samples provide a visual definition of “degree of soundness” in the Standard of Quality for each grain.

Grading changes

The Eastern Standards Committee recommended the following grading changes to come into effect on July 1, 2008.

Barley, Canada Western/Canada Eastern Malting

Recommendation: Revise the current malt barley grade schedule to include only two grades -- Select CW/CE Six-row and Select CW/CE Two-row.

The Eastern Standards Committee supported the recommendation that the Western Standards Committee made on April 8, 2008.

The revised grade schedule has been developed to reflect the industry’s handling and marketing practices. All barley selected for malting purposes will be graded according to the schedule.

The Canadian Grain Commission will inspect railcar unloads of selected malt barley for factors identified in the schedule. If shippers or receivers disagree with the analysis, they have the right to request a reinspection. When barley is delivered and is not selected as malt barley, it will be graded General Purpose Barley.

Wheat, Canada Western General Purpose

The committee decided that a general purpose wheat class is not needed in Eastern Canada because the grade structure for eastern Canadian wheat classes already meets the needs of producers and the industry in Eastern Canada. Therefore, it decided not to adopt the grade schedule for Canada Western General Purpose wheat.

Sclerotinia tolerances

Recommendation: Revise the tolerances for sclerotinia in specific grades of general purpose barley and rye.

The Eastern Standards Committee supported the recommendation that the Western Standards Committee made on April 8, 2008.

Stone tolerances in Canada Eastern rye

Recommendation: Report tolerances for stones as a percentage of total weight of sample.

Current tolerances in Canada Eastern rye report the number of kernel-size pieces in a 500-gram sample as a “K” value.

Current tolerances for stones in Canada Western rye are reported as a percentage of the total weight of a sample.

Digital scale technology allows for the accurate measurement of minute amounts of foreign matter such as stones.

The Eastern Standards Committee recommended replacing the “K” value assessment with a percentage value because of the subjectivity of the current assessment and the availability of an objective method.

The recommended tolerances for stones are the same as those for Canada Western rye.

Rye, Canada Eastern

Grade name	Current tolerances for stones	Recommended tolerances for stones
No. 1 CE	3 K	0.033%
No. 2 CE	3 K	0.033%
No. 3 CE	5 K	0.066%

Grading studies and projects

New approach in Harvest Sample program

The Canadian Grain Commission is initiating a new way of collecting grain samples for crop quality surveys in Eastern Canada in 2008.

It will invite grain producers to be involved in the program by sending samples directly to the Canadian Grain Commission.

Each harvest, the Canadian Grain Commission collects samples of cereal, oilseed and pulse crops from producer associations in Eastern Canada for the annual Harvest Sample program. In the past, producers have not been directly involved.

By involving them first-hand in the program, the Canadian Grain Commission hopes to receive more samples. By participating, producers will receive grading and quality analysis on their samples.

The Canadian Grain Commission tests harvest samples for end-use performance and reports some of the test results.

Three studies to resume in 2008

Progress on the following studies was delayed in 2007 but will resume in 2008:

• Falling number as a grading factor for eastern Canadian wheat
  • To investigate the risks and benefits of introducing falling number measurements in the Canadian wheat grading system for western and eastern Canadian wheat
• Fusarium/Deoxynivalenol study
  • To evaluate the relationship between the percentage of fusarium-damaged kernels and values for deoxynivalenol, a mycotoxin produced by Fusarium graminearum
• Mildew study
  • To research the quality parameters associated with mildew as a grading factor in wheat

As the quality of the wheat harvest was so high in 2007, the Canadian Grain Commission did not have enough samples to work on the projects.