ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER AGRONOMY 11 immediately from visual inspection or test weight, but falling number tests can also be conducted. In Great Lakes Grain contracts, if the falling number is less than 250, it’s subject to rejection or discount. HEADING OFF POTENTIAL DISPUTES Before dropping off grains, Grain Farmers of Ontario encourages farmers to get a sample tested at their local elevator or with a third-party lab. A sample of at least two kilograms is recommended. This way, you have test results to compare to when testing (and grading) is done at the elevator. If farmers don’t test ahead of time and disagree with the grade provided, they can also ask the elevator to perform a second test, by their staff or a third party. This is outlined in a Code of Practice for dispute resolution released in 2022, which Grain Farmers of Ontario developed in collaboration with the Ontario Agri Business Association (OABA) and the Ontario Canola Growers Association (Homick was on the Code development subcommittee). However, drawing on his experience and broader industry knowledge, Homick says that any issues are mostly handled at the branch level. “If there’s a grade or test weight dispute, part of the sample is sent to SGS or Canadian Grain Commission to get that second opinion,” he says, “but we try to manage any issues initially and come to an agreement.” SAMPLING FOR DON Homick reports that there has also been recent discussion in grain grading circles about how to achieve a more representative sample for DON conclusions in wheat and corn, to be as fair as possible to the grower. Mike Ondrejicka, owner of Ondrejicka Elevator in Exeter, with additional locations in Lucan and Centralia, and a member of the OABA subcommittee on grain grading, believes the primary factor preventing a more effective system for this is the intermittent nature of the toxin in corn. “We only see it one in four or five years, so we become complacent,” he says. “As producers, we lose focus on planting less susceptible varieties, and as elevators, we tend not to stay focused on improving our testing regime.” To achieve a more accurate DON determination, lab analysis of a two-kilogram ground sample is recommended. "The toxin is not evenly distributed on every kernel,” Ondrejicka explains, “but tends to be highly concentrated on just a small percentage. So, the problem with using a small sample is that you could get a disproportionate amount of these high vomitoxin kernels.” However, he adds that “research has clearly shown that using a much larger sample can give much more consistent and accurate results...but this is a challenge for current lab equipment [in terms of grinding], especially with high-moisture corn.” According to Ondrejicka, a Canadian company called Sasso Milling has designed and manufactured a machine that can easily handle the task. Due to the cost, most elevators do not yet have one, but adoption will likely ramp up in the years ahead. MAXIMIZING PROFITS AT THE ELEVATOR First, a look at canola. Jim Irvine, zone grain originator in the Barrie area at Minesing Elevator (owned by Great Lakes Grain, formerly Giffen Farms and Elevator), strongly encourages some farmers to adjust their screen settings. “I’d like to remind canola growers that we clean the chaff, and when I see canola coming in that’s completely clean, and it happens quite a bit, we advise them to set their screens for less fine,” he says. “Completely clean canola arriving at the elevator means the farmer is losing quite a bit out the back of the combine, and we hate to see that. It’s such a valuable crop. We’ve handled canola for many years, and yes, the newer varieties are cleaner, but I don’t want farmers losing out, and that’s definitely happening in some cases. Not as many farmers are growing canola, but the ones who do are doing very well at it, with much better yields. It now has a longer season with harvest into September, and that’s not as ideal for getting winter wheat in after, but canola is definitely lucrative, and so please don’t reduce your profits by being afraid to take a little dockage with a bigger yield.” Great Lakes Grain employee Moria Hicks sampling and grading wheat at their Stoney Point AGRIS Cooperative location. Photo courtesy of Heather MacLeod, Great Lakes Grain continued on page 12
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