Grain Assessment Grading Courses

Intertek Grain Grading Classes. Grain Grading Courses for Personnel in the Industry.

• Procedures for calibrating and operating the following grading equipment: 919 Moisture meter, NIR protein tester, Carter Dockage Tester, Boerner divider, Mettler scale, Hand sieves, Cox funnel (test weight determination), Strand Shaker (barley sizing)
• Infestation preventative measures and industry infestation policy
• Information on drying grain
• CGC grain appeal process
• Sampling and sample reducing techniques
• CGC dockage assessment procedures and options for private industry
• Techniques for performing separations to obtain accurate degrading factor percentages
• Commercial cleanliness requirements for grains included on course

Advanced Grain Grading Courses:
Advanced courses are designed for clients who have completed a Basic course or have equivalent knowledge of grain grading obtained through work experience. Advanced courses focus on the important skills needed for accurate grain quality assessment.

Advanced courses include the following:

• A quick review of the basics
• Commercial cleanliness specifications for grains included on course
• Comprehensive skill development


Skills development during Basic and Advanced courses:

• More skill development occurs during advanced courses and courses that only focus on one grain type. Ability to distinguish between wheat classes and non registered varieties, malt barley varieties and oilseed classes. Variety / class identification is a skill developed by training the eye to see minute differences between seeds / kernels. Using innovative training techniques, practice and competitive exercises, participants learn the characteristics used to distinguish between wheat classes and non registered varieties, oilseed classes and malt barley varieties grown in Western Canada.
  
  Ability to perform accurate degree of soundness assessments of wheat and barley. Degree of soundness assessment is a skill that consists of understanding how frost, green and mildew (wheat) and stained, green and mildew (barley) combine to effect end-use quality. Participants gain an impression of the quantity and severity of damaged kernels that are permitted in each grade. Participants are instructed on the importance of using standard or guide samples for comparisons.
  
  Ability to recognize degrading factors in samples. Participants will learn the steps that are necessary to correctly assess grain quality on a consistent basis. A complete analysis of a sample is necessary to ensure detrimental factors are not overlooked. Participants will be shown methods to improve their ability to recognize degrading factors and reduce the time required to analyze a sample.
  
  Ability to determine accurate degrading factor percentages. Participants will learn the CGC and grain industry interpretations of degrading factors and be shown methods for performing separations and determining percentages. Participants will perform separations of common degrading factors and receive feed back. Grading exercises will help participants to recognize when separations should be performed.
  
  Pulses and Special Crops Courses:
  A formal pulse and special crop course will be developed in the near future. In the meantime, clients can request a customized training course in the grading of peas, beans, soybeans, lentils, mustard seed, chick peas and sunflower seed.
  
  Refresher Courses:
  Refresher courses are for clients that have taken an "Advanced" course. The purpose of a refresher course is to ensure grain quality assessment skills are being maintained at a high level as well as keeping clients updated with changes to the grading system. Refresher courses are two to three days in length and customized around the employees training needs identified during Advanced courses.
  
  Customized Courses:
  Intertek will work with clients to customize courses to meet their specific training needs. Course length, number of participants and course content can be determined by the client for group or individual training sessions.