Following an alert by Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association (TFGA) members, a Federal Government agency is checking the instrumentation used by major grain buyers to measure moisture content.
It follows Tasmanian growers’ concerns of inconsistencies between their own moisture measurements on the grain they are about to harvest and those taken by the buyers.
“The critical moisture level ranges from 12.5 per cent to 13 per cent depending on buyer specification,” chairman of the TFGA’s cereal and seeds committee Michael Chilvers said today. “Beyond that, the grain is rejected.
“We have found that the buyers’ instrumentation can be out by as much as two per cent at that threshold level.
“That means, to be on the safe side, growers should keep their moisture levels at 11 per cent or below when they harvest, but that is really difficult in a season like this with high humidity levels. It is nearly impossible.”
Mr Chilvers said the TFGA had alerted the National Measurement Institute, now the peak Australian measurement body responsible for biological, chemical, legal, physical and trade measurement, which has confirmed it is auditing the major grain buyers’ moisture meters to eliminate inconsistencies.