(Photo courtesy Canola Council of Canada)

Canadian canola deliveries hit weekly record

MarketsFarm — Canadian farmers made record deliveries of canola into the commercial pipeline during the second week of October, according to the latest Canadian Grain Commission data. Wet weather, including heavy snow in some regions, continued to keep farmers off of their fields across much of Western Canada, but producers were actively delivering canola and […] Read more



Green Party leader Elizabeth May walks off the set past moderator Paul Wells (l), Conservative leader Andrew Scheer and New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh after the Maclean’s/Citytv leaders’ debate in Toronto on Sept. 12, 2019. (Pool photo: Frank Gunn via Reuters)

Election 2019: Ag groups want the parties to pay attention

MarketsFarm — Two major national farm organizations want the political parties to pay more attention to agriculture as the federal election continues. However, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) and the National Farmers Union (NFU) have somewhat different takes as to what they see as paramount. “It’s really important that we uphold the quality of […] Read more

Know your grain quality going into the bin

Know your grain quality going into the bin

Reading Time: < 1 minute A provincial crop specialist is reminding producers to take a sample of each load going into the bin to get a representative overall sample. “The goal is to have a sample that has the same characteristics as the large volume of product that it represents,” said Neil Blue. Farmers should also consider using the Canadian […] Read more


(ILTAGrain.com via YouTube)

ILTA Grain escrow fund set up for unpaid farmers

Farmers who delivered to Prairie pulse and grain processor ILTA Grain but didn’t get paid before the company went into creditor protection are being asked to “immediately” get in touch with the Canadian Grain Commission. The CGC late Wednesday announced it has reached an agreement with the company’s court-appointed monitor for a new escrow account, […] Read more

Photo: File

Crop year ends with grain export record

Both major railways have announced record grain shipments, and with a more than a week left in the crop year, total Canadian grain exports had already topped last year’s record. The Canadian Grain Commission reports that as of July 21, with 10 days left in the 2018-19 crop year, total exports of Canadian grain had […] Read more


(ILTAGrain.com via YouTube)

Grain Commission suspends ILTA Grain’s licenses

Farmers owed money for grain delivered to ILTA Grain Inc. should call the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC). The CGC on Thursday suspended the Surrey, B.C.-based company’s grain dealer’s license and its primary grain elevator licenses for elevators at Belle Plaine and Saskatoon, Sask., Remi Gosselin, the CGC’s manager of corporate information services, said in an […] Read more

Jim Smolik, shown here in a 2014 photo, contravened two sections of the Conflict of Interest Act, Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion says in a report released May 30, 2019. (Manitoba Co-operator photo by Allan Dawson)

Former CGC assistant chief commissioner broke conflict rules

Jim Smolik, a former Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) assistant chief and acting chief commissioner, contravened post-employment obligations under the federal Conflict of Interest Act while working for Cargill Canada. That’s according to a 24-page report released May 30 by Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion. Dion ruled Smolik breached Sections 33 and 35(2) […] Read more


This graphic illustrates how the falling number test is conducted.

What’s the big deal with the falling number test?

Bakers and pasta makers prize wheat with a certain falling number as determined by this test

Reading Time: 2 minutes Even the best bread and pasta makers are at the mercy of an enzyme called alpha-amylase. The enzyme breaks down starch in wheat and converts it to sugars, but you don’t want too much — and the level of alpha-amylase in a batch can vary dramatically. And if there is too much, it’s a bad […] Read more

What’s in a number? It could be a lot if it’s a favourable falling number. The results of this test (done in Cigi’s Winnipeg lab) are very high — numbers above 300 are considered good while those below 300 aren’t. Alberta Wheat argues farmers should be paid for a good falling number even if a visual inspection results in a lower grade.

Could a wheat sample test put money in your pocket?

Buyers are increasingly using falling number to determine wheat’s value — but farmers don’t get paid for that

Reading Time: 4 minutes Alberta Wheat is hailing a move by the Canadian Grain Commission to consider making tests for falling number and deoxynivalenol official grain-grading factors. “We want the grain commission to make a whole bunch of changes,” said chair Gary Stanford. “We think the grain should be sold by falling numbers… Everybody wants to sell at Grade […] Read more