The National Farmers Union (NFU) and the Wheat Growers Association (WGA)have sent a letter to agriculture and agri-food minister Lawrence MacAulay asking him to halt the Canadian Grain Commission changes that are set to come into effect with the start of the new crop year on August 1st.

The two groups tend to disagree on a number of issues but stand united in their opposition to the CGC's move to harmonize the primary and export standards for wheat.

The new harmonized test weight standard means that CWRS wheat (hard red spring wheat used for baking bread) must weigh at least 63.3 lbs/bushel when delivered to the elevator instead of the current standard of 60.1 lbs/bushel or it will be downgraded to a #2.

Currently, the benchmarks for country elevator grades are slightly lower than the official export grades for bulk wheat when it is loaded onto ships.

They say the new rule will have a massive and long-term negative impact on the income of prairie wheat farmers and demand the change be stopped, at least until the full impacts on all stakeholders are presented to the CGC’s Western Standards Committee.

In spite of opposition from virtually all the farmers on the CGC’s Western Standards Committee, the CGC has decided to ‘harmonize’ primary and export standards for wheat as of August 1, 2023. The Western Standards Committee includes members of both the NFU and the WGA.

 The NFU’s Glenn Tait, who sits on the Western Standards Committee says when a farmer brings their grain to the elevator, there are several different measurements taken in order to grade it.

"These measurements include bushel weight, number of wheat kernels of other classes, total foreign material, and so on. Grades reflect quality and largely determine the prices paid to farmers. Grades are regulated by the CGC to uphold Canada’s grain quality standards in export markets."

WGA Chair Daryl Fransoo says farmers across the prairies will soon be harvesting wheat that under the current rules would be graded as #1, but as of August 1, 2023, they will be forced to sell it at lower prices as a #2 instead if the changes set by the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC) come into effect as planned.

The link to the NFU and WGA letter to Minister MacAulay can be found here.

Information on the Canadian Grain Commission changes can be found here.