The Canadian Grain Commission is busy assessing crops as part of the Harvest Sample Program. 

Under the program, farmers that submit samples receive an unofficial grade and quality results.

The CGC's Chief Grain Inspector Derek Bunkowsky says so far they've seen a good response with about five to six thousand
samples coming in, which is about half of what they are expecting to see.

He says so far based on the results we're seeing an exceptional quality crop, with very good quality across all grains. 

"What we've seen so far in Alberta, in the western parts of Saskatchewan, it's been very high quality 85 to 90 per cent have been grading in the top two grades. The harvest has obviously been quite a bit later in portions of Eastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, but the samples that have come in from those regions to date are also very good quality."

Bunkowsky says as some of the later samples come in we could see some changes.

"I suspect there will be some downgrading that'll happen particularly in the eastern prairies with the wheat crop that wasn't harvested prior to the rains in September. But that's going to be a very small part of the overall crop and Prairie wide it's going to be an excellent quality crop."

Farmers have until November 30th to submit samples under the program.

The CGC will review the samples and provide results depending on the crop submitted.

Those results would include:

- Unofficial grade (The grade provided through the Harvest Sample Program is unofficial because samples aren’t collected by a Canadian Grain Commission inspector.)
- Dockage assessment on canola
- Protein content on barley, beans, chickpeas, lentils, oats, peas and wheat
- Oil, protein and chlorophyll content for canola
- Oil and protein content and iodine value for flaxseed
- Oil and protein for mustard seed and soybeans
- Falling number for wheat and rye
- Vomitoxin (deoxynivalenol or DON) levels for wheat, corn and barley

The information obtained through the program provides the CGC with information that marketers can then use to help promote international sales.