Grade or dockage wrong? Ask the Grain Commission to check it
At a licensed primary elevator you have 7 calendar days from delivery to ask the Canadian Grain Commission for a Final Quality Determination of the grade, dockage, moisture or protein. The elevator pays the fee. Enter your delivery and get the request written for you, with your last day.
You can still ask: 7 days left
Delivered to a licensed primary elevator today, so the last day to ask the Grain Commission is 7 days from now. Ask today: the elevator keeps the sample for only 7 days after your receipt is issued.
Subject: Final Quality Determination request: canola delivered Tuesday, October 13, 2026, ticket 4471
Copy it into a text or an email to the elevator, or print it and hand it over at the scale house. GrainPosition doesn't send anything to the elevator: you do, and you keep a copy.
- Send it today, not on the last day
Email or text it to the elevator, or hand it over at the scale house, and keep a copy. If you say it in person, use the words "Final Quality Determination". The sample is only kept for 7 days after your receipt is issued.
- It goes to the Commission, not head office
The operator labels the sample container "Final Quality Determination", fills in the Commission's form and sends both to the nearest Commission service centre. A sample sent to the company's own head office isn't a Final Quality Determination.
- Keep your receipt
Keep the primary elevator receipt from the delivery, or the interim receipt if the operator issues one.
- The certificate
The Commission sends a Submitted Sample Certificate to you and the elevator. The elevator then exchanges your receipt for a new one, a cash purchase ticket or a cheque showing the Commission's result. No certificate from the Commission means it wasn't a Final Quality Determination.
- Appeal within 15 days, if you disagree
If you disagree with the certificate, ask the Commission's service centre, within 15 days of the date on it, to send your sample to the Chief Grain Inspector for Canada, whose decision is final.
- Check the settlement
The settlement for this load should pay on the Commission's grade and dockage. Check it against the certificate when it comes.
Questions
How long do I have to dispute a grain grade or dockage?
At a licensed primary elevator, 7 calendar days from delivery. Within that time you can ask for the sample to be sent to the Canadian Grain Commission for a Final Quality Determination. The elevator keeps the sample for only 7 days after the receipt is issued, so ask as soon as you can.
Who pays for a Final Quality Determination?
The Canadian Grain Commission invoices its fee to the primary elevator operator, not to the farmer.
Can I ask the Grain Commission to check only the dockage, or only the moisture?
Yes. A Final Quality Determination can cover the official grade or any single grading factor, such as moisture, protein or dockage, or more than one of them. To see what a point of dockage costs on your load, try the dockage calculator.
Do I have to be at the elevator when the grain is delivered?
No. You don't need to be present at delivery to ask for a Final Quality Determination. Tell the elevator operator within 7 calendar days; the operator sends the retained sample and the Commission's form to the nearest Canadian Grain Commission service centre.
What if I disagree with the Grain Commission's result?
You can appeal within 15 days from the date on the Submitted Sample Certificate. Contact the Commission's service centre and ask for your sample to be sent to the Chief Grain Inspector for Canada, whose decision is final.
Can I get a Final Quality Determination at a crusher or a grain dealer?
No. It is only for deliveries of the 21 grains regulated under the Canada Grain Act to a licensed primary elevator. At a process elevator, a grain dealer or an unlicensed buyer, the grade and dockage are what you and the buyer agree, so ask in writing and get the terms into the contract. Pick the place above and the page writes a question to the buyer instead.
Every ticket and settlement, checked against the rules
GrainPosition reads your contracts, scale tickets and settlements from photos, and checks each settlement line by line: grade, weight, dockage and deductions, with the 7-day window counted for you. Free during early access.
Have a lookSources
- Canadian Grain Commission, Final Quality Determination: who can ask, the 7 calendar days, the factors, the sample, the fee invoiced to the elevator, the certificate and the 15-day appeal.
- Canadian Grain Commission, Producer rights at delivery: what applies at primary elevators, process elevators and grain dealers.
- Canadian Grain Commission, list of licensed grain companies, for the buyer lookup.
Checked 13 October 2026. The rules are for deliveries in Canada. This is not legal advice; the Commission decides every case.
Were you paid right on your last grain settlement?
Send me a photo of the settlement, and the contract if you have it. Within a day I’ll email you back what each line is, what’s worth asking the buyer about, and any grade or payment deadline that’s still open. Free, no account.
Ruslan Glick, Winnipeg. Not a farmer, so I check against your contract and the grain rules, not opinions. Top Crop Manager wrote about GrainPosition.