Grain standards committee meetings
The grain standards committees, including the Eastern Standards Committee and Western Standards Committee, meet twice a year: once in the fall following harvest and once in the spring before the new crop is planted. The grain standards advisory committees also meet twice a year, and any action items brought forward during advisory committee meetings are then discussed and decided upon at the Eastern Standards Committee or Western Standards Committee meetings.
The Canadian Grain Commission provides information about our grain standards committee meetings, including:
- meeting agendas
- recommendations
- records of discussion
Meeting agendas
Meeting agendas for the Eastern Standards Committee and Western Standards Committee meetings are available a week prior to each meeting. The most recent agenda is available until the records of discussion are published for that meeting.
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Western Standards Committee meeting agenda
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Eastern Standards Committee meeting agenda
Records of discussion and recommendations
The grain standards committees make recommendations to the Canadian Grain Commission at their semi-annual meetings on:
- specifications and grain grades, which are found in the Official Grain Grading Guide
- standard samples
- elevator operators and the Canadian Grain Commission use these to help them determine if a grain sample meets the minimum visual quality for a grade
- grading studies and projects, including research into grading issues
- the committees base their grading recommendations, in part, on the outcome of grading studies
The records of discussion and recommendations for the grain standards committees include committee recommendations and information on key topics and grading issues discussed at the Eastern Standards Committee and Western Standards Committee semi-annual meetings. Records of discussion and recommendations are available for the past 5 years.
Western Standards Committee
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Records of recommendations from the previous 5 years
Records of recommendations from the previous 5 years
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October 31, 2023 – Fall record of discussion
October 31, 2023 – Fall record of discussion for the Western Standards Committee (PDF, 187 KB)
April 4, 2023 - Spring record of discussion
April 4, 2023 - Spring record of discussion for the Western Standards Committee (PDF, 228 KB)
November 1, 2022 – Fall record of discussion
November 1, 2022 – Fall record of discussion for the Western Standards Committee (PDF, 249 kb)
April 5, 2022 – Recommendations
Mildew standards for Canada western red wheats
The Western Standards Committee recommended replacing the current mildew standard samples for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) and Canada Western Red Winter (CWRW) wheats with the following effective August 1, 2022:
- Wheat, No. 1 Canada Western Red Spring, mildew standard (2022)
- Wheat, No. 2 Canada Western Red Spring, mildew standard (2022)
The mildew standard for Wheat, No. 3 CWRS, and Wheat, No. 3 CWRW will no longer be used as mildew will no longer be a grading factor for the No. 3 CWRS and No. 3 CWRW grades.
The use of the last designated standard and print samples for other grades of grain grown in western Canada are recommended for designation for the 2022-2023 crop year, effective August 1, 2022.
Splits tolerance in No. 2 Canada Green Peas
The Western Standards Committee recommended that the splits tolerance in No. 2 Canada Green Peas be changed from 1% to 3% effective August 1, 2022.
Tolerance for inconspicuous admixture in canola
The Western Standards Committee recommended changing the tolerance for inconspicuous admixture in the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 grades of canola from 5% to 1% effective August 1, 2022.
Broken deduction on export shipments of canola
The Western Standards Committee recommended changing the allowable broken deduction on export shipments of canola from 0.75% to 0.8% effective August 1, 2022.
Description for good natural colour in beans
The Western Standards Committee recommended that the description for good natural colour in beans in the Official Grain Grading Guide be changed to “Beans may be slightly dull, slightly immature or have very lightly adhered soil” effective August 1, 2022.
Excreta tolerance for domestic mustard seed
The Western Standards Committee recommended changing the tolerance for excreta in the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 grades of domestic mustard seed from 1 kernel-size piece per 500 grams to 0.01% effective August 1, 2022.
April 7, 2021 – Recommendations
Aligning flaxseed dockage procedures in Official Grain Grading Guide
The western and eastern standards committees recommended aligning the flaxseed primary and export dockage procedures in the Official Grain Grading Guide to use the following Carter Dockage Machine settings effective August 1, 2021:
- Feed control – No. 4
- Air control – No. 3
- Riddle – No. 000
Frost standard sample prints for Canada Western Amber Durum
The Western Standards Committee recommended the following standard sample prints for the 2021-2022 crop year effective August 1, 2021:
- Wheat, Canada Western Amber Durum No. 1 frost standard
- Wheat, Canada Western Amber Durum No. 2 frost standard
- Wheat, Canada Western Amber Durum No. 3 frost standard
- Wheat, Canada Western Amber Durum No. 4 frost standard
Standard sample prints for oats
The Western Standards Committee recommended the following standard sample prints for the 2021-2022 crop year effective August 1, 2021:
- Oats, Canada Eastern / Canada Western, good colour standard
- Oats, Canada Eastern / Canada Western, fair colour standard
Wheat insect damage name and definition amendment
The Western Standards Committee recommended removing grasshopper/armyworm damage from the western wheat grade determinant tables and replacing it with “insect damage” effective August 1, 2021. A definition for insect damage will be published in the Official Grain Grading Guide on August 1, 2021.
November 2, 2020 – Recommendations
Wheat and rye amendments to the Official Grain Grading Guide
The Western Standards Committee recommended amending the wheat and rye shrunken and broken procedure in the Official Grain Grading Guide and removing the truncation rule effective August 1, 2021.
Chickpea sieve size
The Western Standards Committee recommended, effective August 1, 2021, the use of No. 14 or No. 16 slotted sieves to remove split chickpeas. Split chickpeas will now be included as dockage.
Combining primary and export grade determinant tables for barley, oats, rye and triticale
The Western Standards Committee recommended combining the primary and export grade determinant tables for barley and other cereal grains. The primary table will be amended as required and retitled to “Primary and Export Grade Determinant Table”. Any commercial cleanliness tolerances will be included in the Official Grain Grading Guide in the export section. This will take effect on August 1, 2021.
Canary seed grade determinant table
The Western Standards Committee recommended the adoption of a canary seed grade determinant table. This will take effect on August 1, 2021 if canary seed becomes an official grain in the Canada Grain Regulations.
The Canadian Grain Commission has the authority to adopt canary seed as an official grain in the Canada Grain Regulations without amending the Canada Grain Act.
Flaxseed variety designation list
Effective August 1, 2021, the Canadian Grain Commission will cease to maintain the western flaxseed variety designation list. The Official Grain Grading Guide will be amended to reflect this change.
Flaxseed export dockage procedures
The Western Standards Committee recommended eliminating the procedure of handpicking material and amending the primary composition of dockage definition to consider flaxseed clusters as dockage. This will take effect on August 1, 2021.
Standard sample prints
The Western Standards Committee recommended the following standard sample prints for the 2021-2022 crop year effective August 1, 2021:
- Wheat, Canada Western Red Spring No. 1 frost standard
- Wheat, Canada Western Red Spring No. 2 frost standard
- Wheat, Canada Western Red Spring No. 3 frost standard
October 30, 2019 – Recommendations
No recommendations were brought forward
April 2, 2019 – Recommendations
No recommendations were brought forward
November 1, 2018 – Recommendations
Grading changes
Consistent decimal precision in grading factors
The Western Standards Committee recommended aligning the decimal precision of every grading factor and changing tolerances to use the correct number of decimal places in each table. The Canadian Grain Commission submitted the necessary amendments to Schedule 3 of the Canada Grain Regulations to the Department of Justice.
These changes will take place in two phases.
Phase 1
- The Canadian Grain Commission has made the required updates to the OSCAR program using the current tolerances, and these updates will be effective on February 13, 2019.
- The adjustment of any decimal precision that does not require a tolerance change will be effective on February 13, 2019. The Official Grain Grading Guide will be updated to reflect these changes.
Phase 2
The following will be effective on July 1, 2019 in eastern Canada and on August 1, 2019 in western Canada.
- All tolerance changes required to align the decimal precision of every grading factor.
- The necessary amendments to Schedule 3 of the Canada Grain Regulations.
Tolerance for small seeds and roughage in commercial cleanliness for wheat
The Western Standards Committee recommended adjusting the tolerance for small seeds and roughage in wheat from 0.05% to 0.1% effective February 13, 2019. The attrition and total small seeds, attrition and roughage tolerances will remain the same at 0.1%.
Standards samples and prints
The Western Standards Committee recommended the following standard samples and prints for the 2018-2019 crop year, effective November 26, 2018.
Standard samples
- Wheat, No. 2 Canada Western Red Spring Frost/Heat Stress
- Wheat, No. 3 Canada Western Red Spring Frost/Heat Stress
Standard prints
- Lentils, Canada, other than Red, Good Natural Colour
- Lentils, Canada, other than Red, Reasonably Good Natural Colour
- Lentils, Canada, other than Red, Fair Colour
- Lentils, Canada, other than Red, Reasonably Good Natural Colour (Adhered Soil)
- Lentils, Canada, other than Red Fair Colour (Adhered Soil)
- Peas, No. 1 Canada Yellow
- Peas, No. 2 Canada Yellow
- Soybeans, No. 1 Canada Yellow
- Soybeans, No. 2 Canada Yellow
April 6, 2018 - Recommendations
Standard samples and guide samples
The Western Standards Committee recommended that the standard samples for wheat, which have a combination of mildew and frost/heat stress, be repealed and the mildew and frost/heat stress guide samples, which are currently in place, be approved as the new mildew standard and frost/heat stress standard samples as of August 1, 2018. As of this date, mildew and frost/heat stress will be evaluated individually using the applicable standard samples.
For the 2018-2019 crop year, the Canadian grain Commission approved the use of standard samples as listed in the trade memo “New standard samples for assessing mildew and frost/heat stress in wheat – Revised”
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Eastern Standards Committee
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Records of recommendations from the previous 5 years
Records of recommendations from the previous 5 years
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November 2, 2023 – Fall record of discussion
November 2, 2023 – Fall record of discussion for the Eastern Standards Committee (PDF, 173 KB)
April 5, 2023 – Spring record of discussion
April 5, 2023 – Spring record of discussion for the Eastern Standards Committee (PDF, 207 KB)
November 2, 2022 – Fall record of discussion
November 2, 2022 – Fall record of discussion for the Eastern Standards Committee (PDF, 234 kb)
November 3, 2021 – Recommendations
No recommendations were brought forward.
April 8, 2021 – Recommendations
Aligning flaxseed dockage procedures in Official Grain Grading Guide
The eastern and western standards committees recommended aligning the flaxseed primary and export dockage procedures in the Official Grain Grading Guide to use the following Carter Dockage Machine settings effective July 1, 2021:
- Feed control – No. 4
- Air control – No. 3
- Riddle – No. 000
Standard sample prints for oats
The Eastern Standards Committee recommended the following standard sample prints for the 2021-2022 crop year effective July 1, 2021:
- Oats, Canada Eastern / Canada Western, good colour standard
- Oats, Canada Eastern / Canada Western, fair colour standard
Wheat insect damage name and definition amendment
The Eastern Standards Committee recommended removing grasshopper/armyworm damage from the eastern wheat grade determinant tables and replacing it with “insect damage” effective July 1, 2021. A definition for insect damage will be published in the Official Grain Grading Guide on July 1, 2021.
November 4, 2020 – Recommendations
Combining primary and export grade determinant tables for barley, oats, rye and triticale
The Eastern Standards Committee recommended combining the primary and export grade determinant tables for barley and other cereal grains. The primary table will be amended as required and retitled to “Primary and Export Grade Determinant Table”. Any commercial cleanliness tolerances will be included in the Official Grain Grading Guide in the export section. This will take effect on August 1, 2021.
Wheat and rye amendments to the Official Grain Grading Guide
The Eastern Standards Committee recommended amending the wheat and rye shrunken and broken procedure in the Official Grain Grading Guide and removing the truncation rule effective July 1, 2021.
Canary seed grade determinant table
The Eastern Standards Committee recommended the adoption of a canary seed grade determinant table. This will take effect on July 1, 2021 if canary seed becomes an official grain in the Canada Grain Regulations
The Canadian Grain Commission has the authority to adopt canary seed as an official grain in the Canada Grain Regulations without amending the Canada Grain Act.
Chickpea sieve size
The Eastern Standards Committee recommended, effective August 1, 2021, the use of No. 14 or No. 16 slotted sieves to remove split chickpeas. Split chickpeas will now be included as dockage.
Flaxseed export dockage procedures
The Eastern Standards Committee recommended eliminating the procedure of handpicking material and amending the primary composition of dockage definition to consider flaxseed clusters as dockage. This will take effect on July 1, 2021.
Flaxseed variety designation list
Effective July 1, 2021, the Canadian Grain Commission will cease to maintain the eastern flaxseed variety designation list. The Official Grain Grading Guide will be amended to reflect this change.
October 29, 2019 – Recommendations
No recommendations were brought forward
April 4, 2019 – Recommendations
No recommendations were brought forward
October 30, 2018 – Recommendations
Grading changes
Consistent decimal precision in grading factors
The Eastern Standards Committee recommended aligning the decimal precision of every grading factor and changing tolerances to use the correct number of decimal places in each table. The Canadian Grain Commission submitted the necessary amendments to Schedule 3 of the Canada Grain Regulations to the Department of Justice.
These changes will take place in two phases.
Phase 1
- The Canadian Grain Commission has made the required updates to the OSCAR program using the current tolerances, and these updates will be effective on February 13, 2019.
- The adjustment of any decimal precision that does not require a tolerance change will be effective on February 13, 2019. The Official Grain Grading Guide will be updated to reflect these changes.
Phase 2
The following will be effective on July 1, 2019 in eastern Canada and on August 1, 2019 in western Canada.
- All tolerance changes required to align the decimal precision of every grading factor.
- The necessary amendments to Schedule 3 of the Canada Grain Regulations.
Tolerance for small seeds and roughage in commercial cleanliness for wheat
The Eastern Standards Committee recommended adjusting the tolerance for small seeds and roughage in wheat from 0.05% to 0.1% effective February 13, 2019. The attrition and total small seeds, attrition and roughage tolerances will remain the same at 0.1%.
Standard samples and prints
The Eastern Standards Committee recommended the following standard samples and prints for the 2018-2019 crop year, effective November 26, 2018.
Standard samples
- Wheat, No. 2 Canada Western Red Spring Frost/Heat Stress
- Wheat, No. 3 Canada Western Red Spring Frost/Heat Stress
Standard prints
- Lentils, Canada, other than Red, Good Natural Colour
- Lentils, Canada, other than Red, Reasonably Good Natural Colour
- Lentils, Canada, other than Red, Fair Colour
- Lentils, Canada, other than Red, Reasonably Good Natural Colour (Adhered Soil)
- Lentils, Canada, other than Red Fair Colour (Adhered Soil)
- Peas, No. 1 Canada Yellow
- Peas, No. 2 Canada Yellow
- Soybeans, No. 1 Canada Yellow
- Soybeans, No. 2 Canada Yellow
April 6, 2018 - Recommendations
Standard samples and prints
The Eastern Standards Committee recommended renaming the current mildew guides as mildew standards as of July 1, 2018.
- No.1 Canada Eastern Red, 2005, Mildew Guide Standard
- No.3 Canada Eastern Red, 2000, Mildew Guide Standard (11/06/00)
- No.1 Canada Eastern Red (Winter), 2013, Mildew Guide Standard
- No.2 Canada Eastern Red (Winter), 2013, Mildew Guide Standard
- No.1 Canada Eastern Red (Red Spring), 2012, Mildew Guide Standard
- No.2 Canada Eastern Red (Red Spring), 2012, Mildew Guide Standard
- No.3 Canada Eastern Red (Red Spring), 2006, Mildew Guide Standard (08/17/06)
- No.1 Canada Eastern White Winter, 2012, Mildew Guide Standard
- No.2 Canada Eastern White Winter, 2009, Mildew Guide Standard (11/20/09)
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Definitions
Standard samples
Standard samples are prepared for most grades of grain and represent as nearly as possible the minimum quality of each grade, considering the predominant visual grading factors for that class of grain. They are used as visual guides to grading grain before and on delivery at terminal elevators, and on shipments from terminal elevators. Standard samples may be physical grain or a print.
Our Industry Services team continues to work with the Grain Research Laboratory to ensure our grading standards are science based and appropriate for the degrading factor they represent.