New barley food class smoothes the way for anticipated health claims Wednesday, July 4, 2012 by SUSAN MANNThe Canadian Grain Commission implemented new barley food classes as part of barley grade schedule clarifications effective July 1 in Eastern Canada and Aug. 1 for the West.Daryl Beswitherick, the commission’s program manager for quality assurance, says the previous grades were malting, hulless and general purpose barley. Malting and general purpose are end use characteristics. Hulless is a type of barley.The changes make it clear there can be covered and hulless types of barley in each of malting, general purpose and food classes. “There is a health claim for barley in the United States and we’re hoping that the Canadian government will put this health claim on barley in Canada soon,” he says.In 2005, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration permitted claims of reduction of coronary heart disease to be attached to whole grain barley and barley products after scientific evidence indicated barley lowers cholesterol levels. High cholesterol is considered a risk for heart disease.Beswitherick explains that the grade schedule changes highlight that barley can be used for food. Some varieties are bred for milling-quality food purposes and previously there wasn’t a place to put them as food barley other than the general-purpose class. The commission’s restructuring of its grade schedules allows for the new food class.For hulless barley the commission implemented some minor changes in the definitions of procedures for grade improvement cleaning.Another change implemented July 1 was new colour definitions for Canada red lentils along with new tolerances for copper and bleached seeds and new wrinkled seed tolerances. Beswitherick says the copper and bleached tolerances will help in the colour assessment and the wrinkled is a new grading factor for red lentils.For Eastern Canada feed wheat, there are revised heated tolerances.The changes are in the commission’s official Grain Grading Guide available at – www.grainscanada.gc.ca . BF Feds help make new Elmira apple snack venture happen Caledon dairy farmer can transfer his quota, tribunal rules
Free Tools to Power Up Your Farm’s Digital Life in Canada Wednesday, October 22, 2025 For many Canadian farm families, the internet has become as vital as a tractor or combine. It is how producers manage precision planting, monitor commodity prices, check weather forecasts, pay bills and stay connected with suppliers and customers. However, fast and reliable broadband remains out... Read this article online
Precision Harvesting with HeadSight and TrueSight Tuesday, October 21, 2025 Modern harvesting relies heavily on precision and smart technology, and new systems for head height control and steering are making sure you are not leaving bushels in the field. These innovations ensure efficient crop collection, protect equipment, and reduce operator fatigue during... Read this article online
Remembering Ralph Winfield: Beloved Better Farming Columnist Tuesday, October 21, 2025 Ontario's farming community is mourning the loss of longtime agricultural writerRalph Gordon Winfieldof Glanworth, who passed away peacefully at St. Thomas-Elgin General Hospital on Oct. 17, 2025, at the age of 85. Ralph’s name has been closely tied to Better Farming since 1999. His... Read this article online
Case IH FieldOps Brings Smart Connectivity to Modern Farming Friday, October 17, 2025 Lance Meyer, region precision manager at Case IH, told Farms.com that FieldOps operates on desktops through a web interface and on mobile devices through an app compatible with iPhone, Android, or iPad. This flexibility allows farmers to access critical machine and field information anytime,... Read this article online
New Holland Marks 50 Years of Twin Rotor Innovation Friday, October 17, 2025 New Holland is celebrating 50 years of leadership in twin rotor harvesting technology, a milestone that began with the introduction of the TR70 combine in 1975. This machine transformed agriculture by bringing the world the concept of twin rotor threshing and... Read this article online