Experts had the following tips to make sampling more accurate.
Farmers should sample the crop going into the bin and coming out and take samples regularly from each truckload as it is stored, said Norm Woodbeck, manager of quality assurance standards for the Canadian Grain Commission.
“Whenever you sample, you should have a repeatable pattern to your sampling, not just at the start or the end,” Woodbeck said.
Probing bins after they are loaded can be less accurate than a progressive sample from the grain flow.
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“At the elevator, make sure that if the staff there are probing, they are doing it properly from throughout the load. A grain stream is preferable,” he said.
As a truck rolls down the road, grain in the trailer or truck box will sort by weight and shape, the same way it does in a gravity table at a cleaning plant. The result can be samples that don’t reflect the whole load as it is dropped into the elevator pit.
Merv Berscheid of CGF Brokerage in Saskatoon said producers should not only sample as the grain enters the bin, but also as it leaves the farm.
“We encourage the farmer to sample the grain as it goes into the trailer. Bag the sample. Wrap it in duct tape and have the driver sign over the tape. If there is a problem at the other end, the farmer can seek mediation or arbitration based on what was shipped,” he said.
“When there are tight supplies, an accurate sample can make you money at all points in the marketing process.”
Storing grain samples under conditions similar to those of the bins where the grain is inventoried is necessary to maintain a representative sample.
Samples may be kept in sealed jars or bags inside bin doors, but this can prove inconvenient for bins at remote locations or where access is difficult in winter months.
Berscheid recommends storing samples in old grain bins or unheated shops or other buildings that mimic the storage conditions of the grain.
Producers should ensure that grain condition is maintained by rotating tough grain and monitoring grain stored at high harvest temperatures, ensuring that the samples reflect the products in the bin.
