suits off workshop revealed
still concern fertilizer dealers
Agrico, Baltimore, holds up samples of screened fertilizer
h demonstrate how segregation may cause problems.
What Drirp "traditional butler quality 1
yvnai Knee uugiiiy r at a reasonable price" j
iCIAL PRICES ON
ARMSTED
STEEL BUILDINGS
MIDNIGHT FEB. 10,1979
lOY E. MYERS, INC. W.R. MOODY, ROYER’S FARM TEMCO PARTS CO. INC,
Route#!, Box 163 CONTRACTOR SERVICE Route 213 and 544
ear Spring, Md. 21722 113 Walnut Lane R.D.#l Chestertown. Md. 21620
3Ol-582-1552 West Newton. Pa. 15089 Winfield. Pa. 17889 Phone 301-778-4454
Phone 412-872-6804 Phone 717-837-3201
D. E. SMITH. INC. GLENN M. STAHLMAN TAP ENTERPRISES INC. WALTER J. |
NTRACTING &7£DN (M. Mifflintown, Pa. 17059 R.D.#l, Cash Valley Road R.D.#3,80x256A CONSTRUCTION
cton.MD 21120 Bridgeville, Delaware 19933 Phone 717-436-2151 Cumberland, Md. 21502 Fleetwood, Pa. 19522 1833 Lincoln Highway
e3Ol-472-9161 Phone 302-337-8211 Phone 301-777-0582 Phone 215-929-2884 Lancaster, Pa. 17602
Phone 717-392-8280
# %>
What you see is what you get. |
In a second batch of 31-10-
10 that was sampled as it
was discharged from the
conveyor belt, the
Agriculture Department
came up with an analysis of
31.39, 10.79, and 7.80. Huber
pegged his laboratory
figures at 32.14, 11.04, and
7.48.
The next test involved the
same fertilizer, (second
batch of 31-10-10) but this
time it had been loaded on a
hopper that had moved back
and forth during the loading
process to insure a more
uniform distribution of the
product. This time the PDA
came up with 30.46, 9.47 and
10.21 figures with its
analysis, compared to
Huber’s 31.08,9.69, and 9.79.
The importance of proper
sampling procedures - a
point which was strongly
emphasized at the workshop
- is illustrated by results of
the next test. The sample
had merely been scooped out
of the spreader by hand. It
involved the very same
fertilizer that had been used
in the previous two
procedures. The analysis:
27.93,6.78,15.68.
The split sample presented
to Agrico tested 27.44, 7.00,
15.36.
Next on the agenda was
TRI-COUNTY
AGRI-SYSTEMS
R.D.#1,80x55
Swedesboro, NJ 08085
Phone 609-467-3174
the formulation of an 8-24-8
blended fertilizer that was to
be bagged. With workshop
participants looking on as
the ingredients were scooped
up, weighed, mixed, bagged,
and finally sampled, the
chemist’s verdict came up
7.60, 23.97, 7.12. Agrico
reported 7.63, 23.42, 6.85 on
that sample.
The fertilizer people find it
significant that of the 18
supervised samples taken at
the Mill Hall workshop, eight
were found deficient. Yet,
according to calculated
weights, and analyses of
individual ingredients, all of
the fertilizers were in
compliance with minimum
standards. Many exceeded
those standards. Never
theless, in one example, the
deficiency found in a 4-ton
blend would have meant a
fine of $457.60, which
amounts to 66 per cent of the
value of the product,
claimed PennAg spokesman
Donald Parke.
Tests conducted as a result
of the workshop revealed
chemical composition of the
products as well as other
properties such as particle
size. The latter is considered
to be very important in
assuring uniform quality in
dry bulk blended fertilizers.
FARMSTED II
TRI-STATE MARINE I
DIST. INC. I
Route 256 I
Deale, Md. 20751 I
Phone 301-867-1447 I
Lancaster Fanning. Saturday. February 3,1879-
Variations in particle size
are' a notorious cause of
product separation and may
lead to a possible shortage of
an ingredient in qualitative
analyses.
The procedures demon
strated at Mill Hall were
designed to impress and
educate fertilizer dealers of
the importance of quality
control as well as product
and company integrity. A
number of presentations
were given. The sampling
results serve as the final
Chapter of that workshop.
Looking at those test
results, some fertilizer
spokesmen say the results
show that exact
specifications can’t be easily
met even under closely
supervised procedures.
There’s a different point of
view at the Agriculture
Department, however. The
claim there is that if ‘x’
number of fertilizer blenders
can comply with quality
standards, then all should be
able to.
Spokesmen for the in
dustry say that variations
are bound to occur due to
differences in handling
equipment, differences in
particle sizes, and a lack of
uniform standards for the
industry.
P. E. HESS, BUTLER MFG. CO.
Box 336, Oxford, PA 19363
I'm interested in more information on Butler products
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Donald Parke, executive
secretary of PennAg In
dustries Association, says
that the results of the
sampling done at the Mill
Hall, Pa. workshop sub
stantiates earlier industry
claims.
He says: “There were
people witnessing the fact
that the ingredients were
there in the'mix and the
results of the samples
analyzed by two laboratories
indicate that one-third of the
samples analyzed were
deficient enough to incur a
penalty. Our very subjective
and personal opinion is that
neither the equipment
commonly in use nor the raw
materals which are pur
chased, nor the inspection
equipment and methods
used nor the laboratory
techniques employed are
sophisticated enough to
support an inspection
system with such tight
standards. The question
comes down to economics.
Just how important is
establishing tolerances to
the one-one-hundredth of a
per cent just to meet an
inspection standard?” he
asks. “Experts agree,”
Parke continues, “that this
(Turn to Page 38)
BUTLER
AGRI-BUI LDER
State.
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