What to do with high green canola

Crush strips canola grade

Step one is to know the green count. When shopping around for buyers, make sure your sample represents the canola you’ll deliver. Loads have been rejected because the canola delivered didn’t meet the specifications indicated in the original sample. The Canadian Grain Commission has tips on how to take a representative grain sample.

Get more than one opinion. Remember that “distinctly green” is a subjective analysis, requiring graders to decide whether marginal lime green seeds count as “distinctly green” or not. This can make a big difference in price and marketability of canola if one grader counts 15% green (No.3) and another counts 25% (Sample) when analyzing the same sample. Growers unsure of what they’ve got can send samples to the Canadian Grain Commission (CGC), which provides a free grade as part of its Harvest Sample Program. Click here for more details. The CGC will also resolve disputed grades.

Look for buyers. Click here for a list of companies that buy high-green canola. You may also find that if one elevator is not taking No.2 or No.3 canola, another elevator or crusher down the road may be.

Careful management…

Green increases storage risk. Canola with high chlorophyll content is less stable in storage, even if the canola is dry and cool. The safest bet is to deliver sooner than later. If that is not an option, proper conditioning and frequent monitoring for heating and spoilage are crucial until it can be delivered.

Don’t add water to bins hoping to reduce green. If canola in the swath gets rain and
warm conditions, enzyme activity may restart and some of the green seeds can be reduced. It is very unlikely that sufficient water and heat can be added to canola in storage to safely recreate these conditions. Given the lack of research to support this practice, the spoilage risk almost certainly outweighs any potential benefit in terms of lowering green counts.

Further reading:
Top 10 risky situations for canola storage