There is a new partnership delivering the Soy Quality Program to Canadian producers.
Nathan Gerelus is the manager of National Affairs at the Canadian Grain Commission, based in Winnipeg, and he says,
“We are excited to have recently partnered with Soy Canada to deliver the Soy Quality Program, and that will start with this year's 2024 harvest.”
Gerelus describes the process.
“Soybeans are generally produced for either the crush market or the food market, and this program we're talking about today is specifically focused on the food-grade soybean market. The program will deliver testing for new food-grade soybean varieties, and the program will also deliver end-use performance testing of soy food products such as soy milk, miso or tofu.”
Gerelus notes that the program will be led by Dr. Ning Wang who is a Research Scientist and Program Manager for Pulse Research at the Canadian Grain Commissions Research Laboratory in Winnipeg.
“Dr. Wang and his team will perform this analysis. They will also provide scientific expertise to support ongoing relationships with stakeholders, such as customers, exporters, seed companies, and academics.”
As to why the new partnership was necessary, Gerelus explains,
“Well, the program was previously delivered by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Harrow Research and Development Centre. Their work over many years contributed to Canada's strong reputation as a reliable supplier of high-quality food-grade soybeans to global markets.”
While Gereluls could not speak to the decision as to why Agri-Food Canada’s Harrow Research and Development Centre stopped delivering the program, he did note the following.
“When we heard about that decision, and we heard that Soy Canada was looking for a new partner, we quickly realized that the Canadian Grain Commission would be a good fit, and that's based on our extensive scientific capacity, our focus is on grain quality, and our solid international reputation.”
Gerelus added that the Canadian Grain Commission had been in discussions with Soy Canada for a few months and had reached an agreement earlier this fall.
“I will add that support for the program has been provided by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, as well as Soy Canada, Grain Farmers of Ontario, Grain producers of Quebec and the program participants as well.”
He noted that as a new partnership, their goal is to largely deliver the program in the same way or very similar way as it was delivered by Agri-Food Canada’s Harrow Research and Development Centre.
“They’ve established a valuable brand and a strong program, and we want to build upon that legacy, and this consistency is particularly important with traditional Asian customers who are looking for that consistency.”
Gerelus continues, “We'll be using the same validated scientific methods to allow year-to-year comparisons of the technical results. Obviously with us being a new partner, there will be some logistical changes and new personnel involved, but we are looking for that consistency carrying forward.”
Describing the program, Gerelus notes that there are two streams. The first one is about the new varieties.
“So, we'll be analyzing around 2,000 samples per year from variety trials conducted in the major soybean-producing provinces of Quebec, Ontario and Manitoba. And those results will become available through the Food-grade Variety Finder. That's to ensure that varieties that producers will be accessing will continue to meet those high-quality standards that are expected from Canadian Food-grade soybeans.”
While the second stream is more focused on the end-use.
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