Areas of Study

CIGI programs are targeted to cover areas of specific interest such as an individual commodity (e.g. malting barley), a particular end-use (e.g. animal feed) or a certain subject (e.g. grain marketing).

Primary areas of focus:

[ Wheat ]
[ Barley ]
[ Pulses ]
[ Oilseeds ]
[ Biodiesel ]
[ Feed ]
[ Marketing ]
[ Other field crops ]

WHEAT

Wheat program subjects typically include:

• Grain grading and inspection
• Wheat class descriptions
• Milling and end-use suitability

CIGI's pilot and test bakeries, pilot mill, pilot noodle plant and pilot pasta plant are used to demonstrate how Canadian wheat performs in a variety of wheat-based foods. Visits to farms, grain elevators and commercial processing facilities are also featured.

BARLEY

Malting barley program participants learn about new and existing western Canadian malting barley varieties. Topics covered include:

• Barley and malt production
• Transportation
• Processing
• Brewing

Also provided are tours of the pilot malt plant and pilot brewery of the Canadian Malting Barley Technical Centre in Winnipeg, in addition to visits to farms, commercial malting plants and breweries.

Food barley programs look at barley-based food products and demonstrate how barley ingredients can enhance the nutritional and functional properties of foods.

PULSES

Programs may feature all pulse market classes including peas, lentils, chickpeas, beans and soybeans or may focus on a specific type. In addition to providing an overview of the Canadian food pulse industry, topics covered include:

• Pulse production
• Breeding
• Handling
• Grading
• Marketing
• End-use quality

Participants also visit farms and processing and research facilities in Western Canada and southern Ontario .

OILSEEDS

Oilseed programs focus on canola and flax and feature information on:

• Oilseed grading
• Handling
• Marketing
• End-use

Participants visit the POS (Protein, Oil and Starch) pilot plant in Saskatoon to study commercial oilseed crushing, processing and manufacturing. Tours of farms and other industry-related facilities are also featured.

BIODIESEL

Using its portable biodiesel plant, CIGI provides demonstrations (one-day) and courses (three days) which cover the various aspects of biodiesel production including equipment operation, chemistry, economics, marketing, feed stock sources and safety. Courses held in Western Canada focus on the use of canola; however, in different regions, the emphasis may shift to other oilseed crops such as soybeans.

FEED

Programs may focus on a single feed ingredient or cover a number of different types including:

• Wheat
• Barley
• Canola meal
• Flaxseed meal
• Peas
• Processed alfalfa
• Grain screening pellets

Programs generally include tours of ingredient processing facilities, farms, grain elevators, feed mills and university and government research facilities.

MARKETING

Programs provide insight into grain marketing practices. The planning and marketing functions of the Canadian Wheat Board are studied, along with techniques used for non-Board grains. Participants learn how the open market system operates on a day-to-day basis by determining street prices, developing hedging strategies and preparing sales offers.

OTHER FIELD CROPS

CIGI can also use its experience and expertise to develop customized training for other crops, such as potatoes. CIGI works with the sponsoring organization to design, plan and execute programs from beginning to end based on specified goals and objectives.