Harvest Quality
The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) carries out the Harvest Survey in all growing areas on the Prairies. Producers fill up Harvest Sample envelopes with representative samples of their new crop and send the envelopes to the CGC in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Harvest Sample envelopes arrive at the CGC. CGC grain inspectors sort harvest samples by crop kind or wheat class, clean them to remove dockage, and grade them.
The CGC’s Harvest Sample database keeps track of each sample, who sent it, and what the grading results are. Each Harvest Sample envelope has its own bar-code. The bar-code is scanned into this database, along with the grading results and an identification number for the producer.
At the same time, the CGC’s Grain Research Laboratory performs quality tests on each sample. Using near infrared (NIR) instruments, staff analyze the following and enter the results in the database:
In the CGC’s Grain Research Laboratory (GRL) harvest samples lose their individual identity. Samples of the same kind, grade, or wheat class and protein content, or provincial origin are blended to make large composite samples for a complete quality testing program.
Every composite sample of wheat and flour is tested for protein content by combustion nitrogen analysis, the reference method used to calibrate NIR instruments. Composite samples, at different percentages for protein content, are tested for their end-use quality. Wheat quality data from the tests appear on the CGCs web site according to the percentage of protein content. The reference method is used to confirm this percentage.
The GRL performs many kinds of tests for end-use quality on composite samples. Analytical tests on grain explains the types of tests on wheat, oilseeds and pulse crops.
The CGC shares the results of quality testing of the new crop of Canadian grains with customers around the world on our web site and in market support visits to major customer countries.
Last updated: 2005-09-30