This report presents harvest quality data for Canada Western Red Spring (CWRS) wheat grown in 2025. Wheat samples were submitted to the Canadian Grain Commission’s Harvest Sample Program by producers. Quality data are compiled from the results of analytical tests performed in the Grain Research Laboratory and will be updated as more samples are received.
Canada Western Red Spring wheat
CWRS is the most widely grown class of wheat in western Canada. It is well known for its excellent milling performance, producing high yields of flour with low ash content and minimal protein loss. The high protein content and very high water absorption of CWRS flour results in dough that is strong yet extensible. This makes it ideal for the production of pan bread with a large loaf volume. Due to the high protein and good gluten strength of its flour, CWRS wheat is used extensively, either alone or in blends with weaker wheats, in a range of products such as hearth breads, flat breads, steamed breads, and noodles.
Summary of CWRS quality in 2025
The quality of CWRS wheat in 2025 was excellent, with 91% of the crop in the top 2 grades. The majority of No. 2 samples were downgraded due to hard vitreous kernels (HVK) levels below 65%. The mean protein content was 13.8%, equal to the ten-year average. The crop was safe and sound, with 99.0% of CWRS samples having deoxynivalenol (DON) levels less than 1.0 ppm and 91% of samples having falling number (FN) values greater than 350 seconds. AAC Brandon remained the top CWRS variety grown in 2025, but its acreage continued to decline as the acreage of newer varieties, such as AAC Wheatland and AAC Hockley, increased. AAC Starbuck and AAC Viewfield had no change in acreage from 2024.
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