GREG'ROTH Penn State Agronomy Associate Professor The first step to becoming a reliable quality com suppli er is to become proficient at assessing grain quality. Have a good idea of what consti tutes quality grain and how to measure it. Monitor grain quality during harvest, if nec essary, segregate low and high quality grain before storage. Estimate your grain quali ty before you market it and know the requirements of your markets. The require ments of grain buyers vary, however, so it is important to understand the specific needs of your market. For some markets, requirements may be rather lax, for others standards may be rigid. Common grain quality fac tors that are monitored for corn are moisture, bushel r Farmer Boy Ag Systems Inc. 4”-6”-7”-8”-10” D: For Permanent or • At your grain bin • In drying set-ups • Around the dairy • In feedlots • At feedmills or e Westfield Transport Grain Augers Available In 6”, 7”, 8” & 10” Gas Motor Drive, Electric Motor Drive, PTO Belt Drive, PTO Shaft Drive flog and Poultry Contracts Available Contact Us Todayl * * v ? * >x ft* V Pull Line of Parts in Stock For Your Hog. Poultry and Cattle Needs Farmer Boy Ag Systems lnc. 410 East Lincoln Avenue, Myerstown, PA 17067 warehouse Mces 24 Hour Service 0/10/98 CT Here Are Some Steps To Produce, Market Quality Corn Grain weight, damaged kernels, broke corn, and foreign material (BCFM), odor, visu al appearance, stones, weed seeds, and insects. Understand market require ments will help you to target markets that will give you the best price for your grain and will help to avoid load rejections. Consider purchasing a test weight cup, moisture tester, sieve, and six foot grain probe to monitor grain quality, learn to sample trucks effec tively to obtain a representa tive grain sample. Grain samples are typically obtained by probing contain ers or sampling flowing grain, never use a dipped sample for assessing quality of a load of grain. The next step to improving com quality is to adjust man agement to improve grain quality. Below are listed a few factors that can influence corn quality: Westfield Utility Augers ™'y 717-866-7565 • 1-800-845-3374 ggßffiM Swine & Poultry Systems Specialists •Crop maturity. This is often most influenced by hybrid maturity and planting dates. Work hard to get full season hybrids planted earl and avoid depending too much on full-season hybrids for your area. Monitor hybrid maturity level sin the field and avoid those that regular ly are frosted before 3/4 milk line. •Hybrids. Hybrids vary in test weight. Consult with your seed supplier regarding grain quality characteristics if your markets dictate high levels of quality. Monitor the test weight of your hybrids during harvest. Hybrids may also vary in susceptibility to ear molds, which can cause mycotoxin and other quality problems. Hybrid variation also occurs in oil, protein and other nutritional traits that my bring a premium in the market. •Weed control. Poor weed control can introduce poten -zprxpr? '**< -"V Iloursi Non. Sat. 7:30 ■ Moon WE SHIP UPS Com Talk, Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 10, 1998—Page tially toxic wee seeds into the grain. It also contribute to the spread of noxious weed seeds across farms in feeds. This is a major avenue for weed dispersal in our state. •Harvest. Harvest at grain moistures below 30 per" cent with a combine adjusted to clean grain properly. Avoiding cracked kernels is essential. The quality of grain should also be moni tored during harvest. Fields or loads which are lower quality (moldy, damaged, or low test weight) should be segregated and marketed separately. •Monitoring moisture con tent. Storing grain that is too wet is a common cause of A Division of @ Bulk Feed Bins with Flex-Flo Feed Systems A-P’s bulk feed tanks and Flex-Flo’" Systems perfectly illustrate the attention to detail that quality demands and provides the Dairy, Hog and Poultry farmers with the finest storage and feeding equipment available. We Assemble, Deliver and Set-up bins on your farm. BIN fmm T ' ' * <• V. N iV * --•1 spoilage. Measuring grain moisture before storing grain is essential to prevent spoilage. •Grain drying practice. Excessive heat during grain drying can reduce grain qual ity by increasing the amount of heat-damaged kernels and by causing additional stress cracks in the grain, which will increase the breakage susceptibility. •Storage management. Developing a sound grain storage management pro gram is essential for market ing quality grain. This starts with making sure clean dry grain goes into a clean stor age facility. Then follow up with monitoring and control of insects and rodents, and regular monitoring of grain temperature and moisture. By learning to assess grain quality and how to manage to improve it, it may be possible to gain access to new markets and better prices. V I 69 ’wPi
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