Canadian grain grading changes for the 2024-2025 crop year

The Canadian Grain Commission is making several grain grading changes for the new crop year following consultation with sector stakeholders and members of our Western Standards Committee and Eastern Standards Committee. These changes will allow Canada’s quality assurance system to better meet the needs of the grain sector in Canada and grain buyers around the world. These are the highlights of some of the upcoming changes.

New variety designation lists for food barley

Food barley varieties are unique and different from malting or feed barley varieties due to the distinct quality features desired for food, such as high beta-glucans.

To ensure Canadian producers and the agriculture sector can realize the benefits of developing and growing these varieties, the Canadian Grain Commission is creating variety designation lists for Barley, Canada Eastern Food, which will take effect on July 1, 2024, and Barley, Canada Western Food, which will take effect on August 1, 2024.

Updates to the assessment of seed coat discolouration in soybeans

As part of our grain grading modernization project, the Official Grain Grading Guide will be updated to clarify the assessment of seed coat discolouration in soybeans, effective on August 1, 2024.

The changes include updates to definitions and grade determination tables for factors related to soybean staining. We will also be adding new photographs to the web version of the guide to assist in the evaluation of seed coat discolouration.

Table reformatting in the Official Grain Grading Guide

Our grade determination tables are being changed to be more clear, user friendly and accessible. Effective August 1, 2024, grain grades will be moved to column (vertical) format and grain grading factors will be listed in row (horizontal) format. This change will be to the formatting only and won’t change any grading factors or tolerances.

The new and previous versions of the tables will both be available in the online version of the Official Grain Grading Guide for a minimum of 6 months to help with the transition.