Moisture discrepancies hurt farmers

“Last year’s unusual wet conditions have more specifically raised questions about the accuracy of moisture testers which are calibrated to focus on the normal trading moisture range,” Gosselin told farmnewsNOW. “We’ve also heard concerns regarding different moisture results for samples tested at different temperatures. It’s our understanding these situations have generated some immediate concerns about farmer rights and fair compensation at the time of delivery.”

Gosselin said CGC’s memorandum was issued to provide grain elevators some guidelines on sample temperatures for moisture testing.

“We’re conducting research on the impact of temperature change and above normal moisture content. On an interim basis, we recommended grain samples be warmed to at least 11 degrees Celsius prior to moisture testing,” he said. “The two technologies CGC publishes and monitors calibrations for are the UGMA technology and the older 919-type.”

Gosselin said CGC implemented the UGMA technology as its official moisture tester in 2015. Each year CGC monitors the calibrations for Canada’s official grains on both 919 and UGMA testers.

“The calibrations we publish focus on a normal trading moisture range for each official grain to ensure they’re as accurate as possible to reference method results. Once we’re outside that range, for example, for wet or dry samples, measurement variation increases.”

Gosselin said when a producer is unhappy with the way their grain has been assessed, he strongly encourages them to exercise their rights and request a binding decision on grade, dockage and moisture.

Saskatchewan Pulse Growers (SPG) issued an advisory to growers after they received reports that moisture tests at elevators could be as much as one per cent higher using the UGMA moisture tester for samples above 16 per cent and at low temperatures. However, SPG said there was a difference when using the older 919-type technology that has been used for many years.

Ridgedale area farmer Arie Vandertweel said he became involved last month when he started hauling peas to a local grain facility. He didn’t like the results he got from the elevator when they said his peas were tough.

Vandertweel owns a 919-type grain tester and he estimates 90 per cent of farms use this model.

By the time Crop Production Show started in Saskatoon, Vandertweel had been calling the grain commission. He wanted to take pea samples to the CGC office to show the moisture levels would go down when the peas were warmed. The request was denied.

“While I was at the show I took two bags of peas with me. One bag was frozen. It was really cold that day. The other one I had in the front of the truck and I had the heat on the seat so they were nice and warm,” he said. “When I got to the show I dumped them in several testers. They’re all these electronic testers and they seem like they’re all over the map. For tests using a 919-type tester for both cold and warm peas, the results were the same.”

While he was at the Crop Production Show, Vandertweel got a call to take his samples to the CGC office in Saskatoon.

“With the frozen peas all the way up to 11 degrees Celsius the moisture reading didn’t really change. The big change happened between 11 and 20 degrees Celsius. That .6 per cent which can add up to about $200 to $300 on a super bee because you have to pay for drying and then they take shrink. They were quite surprised to see that.”

Vandertweel said within a few days, the grain commission sent the notice to the grain buyers. He still wasn’t satisfied.

“They put it on their website that the grain buyer should be testing peas at a minimum of 11 degrees. That really makes me mad because the difference between 11 degrees and 20 degrees is over a half a percent,” he said. “Upon further discussion with the grain commission, they also informed me that for this period, they’re still going to use these testers. It’s ridiculous.”

Vandertweel said in addition to his concerns about the testing equipment he is concerned farmers aren’t aware of the situation.

“It’s not just for myself, I look after myself, I’ll take my lumps. CGC offered to send my samples to Winnipeg for an oven test but no one else gets that offer. That should make me happy and but it ticks me off because all the rest of the farmers don’t know what’s going on. They don’t have that opportunity. Why should I get special treatment? The rest of the farmers get screwed over when they take their grain to the elevator. Let’s be fair and treat everybody the same,” he said.

Vandertweel will have about 40,000 bushels of peas to sell this year. In the meantime, he says he’s lost confidence in the UGMA testers.

“I’ve also done a little bit of work with different grains. You can dump oats in the tester and whether they’re cold or warm, it can make quite a difference. As far as I’m concerned, they shouldn’t be used because they’re not reliable. They don’t give you consistent moisture readings.” he said. “Farmers trust the system and the system is letting them down. That’s why I want to make people aware of what’s going on,” he said

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF

by Alice McFarlane

Moisture discrepancies hurt farmers

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