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
ILTA Grain escrow fund set up for unpaid farmers
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
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
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
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
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
Growers fear a China crisis over canola
Farmers are worried but quiet diplomacy is the best option, says Alberta Canola official
Reading Time: 3 minutes Wait and hope. And test. That’s about all Alberta canola growers can do as what appears to be political gamesmanship by China plays out. News that Canada’s biggest buyer of the oilseed had cancelled Richardson International’s registration to ship canola prompted worried producers to call the Alberta Canola Producers Commission. “At first it was kind of […] Read more
Grain grading revamp may add falling number, DON as factors
Two significant grain specs that aren’t yet factors for a crop’s official grade are now under consideration to join that official list. The Canadian Grain Commission on Monday put out a call for “grain sector stakeholders” to submit their views before May 10 on a proposal for falling number and deoxynivalenol (DON) to both become […] Read more
Protein premiums drop from historic high in 2018
Shopping around can reveal how buyers are grading your wheat and how they pay for protein premiums
Reading Time: 2 minutes The 2018 crop year featured a strong protein premium for wheat, in particular hard red spring wheat. Neil Blue, provincial crop market analyst with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, looks at the situation with protein premiums on wheat in 2019. Blue says that wheat protein premiums this crop year have dropped back to below-average levels due […] Read more
Weekly canola exports pick up
Weekly Canadian canola exports hit their highest level in more than two months during the week ended Sunday, helping narrow the gap between this year’s export pace and the year-ago movement. Canola exports of 268,500 tonnes during week 26 of the crop year were roughly double the previous week’s total and the largest movement in […] Read more
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