Prairie farmers should be talking with their elevator agents and buyers about the wheat reclassification changes coming up in the new crop year.

The Canadian Grain Commission announced plans in 2015 to modernize the Canadian Wheat Class and in December of that year, they announced the creation of the Canadian Northern Hard Red and Canada Western Special Purpose Wheat Classes. 

Laura Reiter is Chair of Sask Wheat says 25 wheat varieties from CWRS and 4 from CPS Red Class are being moved as of August 1st into the new class.

"Some of the varieties that are being transitioned are older varieties that are quite low in acreages," she said. "Probably the three main ones are Harvest, Lillian, and Unity which we are still grown in fairly high acreages in 2017."

Reiter says the CGC created 2 new classes the Canadian Northern Hard Red and Canada Western Special Purpose Wheat Classes and tightened up on some of the specifications.

"The varieties are still going to be eligible for sale, it's not like they're being deregistered or anything, they will just no longer fit into the CWRS or CPS red classification," she said. "The CNHR is likely going to be a class that is of a lower value because it's not our high quality milling class."

While the reclassified varieties are still registered and can be grown, farmers should talk with their grain buyers about specific marketing options for those varieties.