Canadian Wheat farmers are moving away from a strict reliance on the old number-based grading system.

That from Tom Steve, General Manager of the Alberta Wheat Commission.

Steve says, the Canadian system is already starting to move in that direction.

"The Canadian grain elevators, or elevator companies, increasingly having falling number testing capability right at the country elevator. So from our perspective, it would be an advantage for farmers if we moved more to a specification based system than strictly relying on number grades."

They're also starting to see this move away from the number-based grading system in the international market.

"Increasingly in the international market, wheat is purchased by end users based on specifications like falling number, water absorption, ash content, the sort of detailed specifications that millers look for in the quality of their wheat."

The Alberta Wheat Commission has encouraged the Canadian Grain Commission to move to a specification based grading system, but Steve says, it will take a couple years to get there.

 

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