Farmers Need Representative Harvest Samples

EDMONTON - Aug 26/19 - SNS -- Farmers should take samples of each load as their harvested crops are put into storage to end up with representative samples of the crop in each bin, reminds Neil Blue, provincial crop market analyst with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry.

“The goal is to have a sample that has the same characteristics as the large volume of product that it represents. Producers will then have a sample that can be used to shop around with various potential buyers.”

The samples should be stored in a sealed container to identify the source bin.

“This container should keep out rodents and insects and preserve representative moisture content to maintain sample integrity. Some grain companies provide zip lock bags just for this purpose, which in turn, could be kept in a larger sealed container,” he adds.

CGC Harvest Sample Program

The Canadian Grain Commission's Harvest Sample Program gives producers a free, unofficial grade on several samples from the current year's crop. Producers can submit samples of newly harvested crop prior to November and obtain base grade information for their marketing at no charge. This program also helps the Canadian Grain Commission, the Canadian International Grains Institute, and grain buyers to better know, in a general way, the quality of the crop.”

Producers can learn more and sign up for the Harvest Sample Program online, over the phone, or email. The Commission sends participating producers a personalized kit, including postage-paid envelopes for the samples. Upon grading of the submitted samples, grade results are retrievable via phone, e-mail or through the CGC internet site. These results include:

* Unofficial grade for each sample submitted.

* Dockage assessment, oil, protein and chlorophyll content for canola.

* Oil, protein and iodine values for flaxseed.

* Oil and protein levels for mustard seed and soybeans.

* Protein content on barley, beans, chickpeas, lentils, oats, peas and wheat.

* Deoxynivalenol (DON) content and Falling Number for wheat.

Only active subscribers can read all of this article.

If you are a subscriber, please log into the website.

If you are not a subscriber, click here to subscribe to this edition of the STAT website and to learn more about becoming a subscriber.