Harvest Quality

Harvest Survey

Information for Grain Producers

What is the Harvest Survey?

• The Harvest Survey is a survey of Canadian grain quality.
• The Canadian Grain Commission conducts it each fall.
• Information from the survey reaches marketers, buyers and processors around the world.
• It tells millers, bakers, brewers and food manufacturers how this year's crop will perform in processing.
• This helps make sales and keeps buyers coming back.

Where is the Harvest Survey carried out?

It is carried out in all the growing areas on the Prairies. The quality of the crop can vary from one area to another. By surveying all growing areas, the Canadian Grain Commission provides a good representation of crop quality.

What happens during the Harvest Survey?

Each fall, thousands of grain producers participate in the CGC’s Harvest Sample program. They send us samples of their crops and we put them together to make larger samples, or composites. Composite samples of wheat, oilseeds and pulses are milled, mixed, baked, crushed, and cooked, and analyzed for their processing characteristics. We post the results of these tests on our web site. The results of the tests tell millers, bakers, brewers and food manufacturers how the new crop will perform in processing.

Why does the CGC test the quality of the crop each year?

Data from analytical tests give the finer points about the processing quality of each class and grade, each year. The data is important because environmental conditions can cause a variation in processing quality within in each grade, from year to year.

Why does the CGC collect harvest samples from producers?

It is the most efficient way to obtain samples from each growing area.

Why is the number of harvest samples important?

The more harvest samples we have, the more representative the quality data.

Why is the number of harvest samples important?

The more harvest samples we have, the more representative the quality data.