Digging into the details of dockage
A look at the dockage procedures for wheat and canola can help you figure out if your grain is getting a fair shake at the local elevator. Here’s what you need to know about assessing dockage in crops like wheat, canola, and barley.
Hand-sieving canola
Before running canola through the Carter dockage tester, it must be hand-sieved; round-hole sieves will remove large material while allowing reasonably sound canola to pass; the slotted sieve should cut the amount of inseparable material to keep it within the grade tolerance.
Running the Carter dockage tester
Both canola and wheat samples must pass through the Carter dockage tester, though the settings and procedures differ. Some kernels may get stuck in the sieving, so run the sieve cleaner for a few seconds after the sample has passed through the machine.
What is dockage
Dockage is the weight of material that passes through a hand-sieving sieve or the No. 000 riddle, with up to 0.5 percent for reasonably sound and broken canola deducted from the dockage’s gross weight for commercially clean primary samples.
Pulling up your grades
If your crop falls short of your expectations, you can have it cleaned again to raise the grade, then weigh the new dockage and add it to the original dockage.
Cleaning sample grade canola
What if you’ve cleaned canola for grade improvement but it only qualifies for Sample Canada, Account Admixture? You’ll need to figure out the dockage using the No.035 slotted sieve and a round-hole sieve, and any deviation from these settings must be approved by the chief grain inspector.
Optional analysis
Elevator stocks will be adjusted based on the percentage and grade of any grain discovered in dockage, which is the same procedure for wheat and canola. For more information on grading and dockage, visit grainscanada.ca.
What is Cofo in grain?
Other miscellaneous discounts may be applied, depending on mill policy, for aflatoxins, musty of sour grain, moldy or heat damaged grain, commercially objectionable foreign odor (COFO), or live or dead insects.
How is grain graded?
Grades refer to how grain characteristics affect processing performance (e.g., how much flour is produced during milling) or the quality of the end product (e.g., the texture of cooked pasta), and producers are generally compensated based on the grade of grain they deliver.
How do you determine dockage?
Calculate the percentage of dockage by weighing all of the material that remained on top of the top (12/64 round-hole) sieve after passing through the bottom (064-3/8 slotted) sieve and dividing the weight of the dockage by the total sample weight.
What is dockage in farming?
Wheat dockage is defined as weed seeds, weed stems, chaff, straw, or grain other than wheat that can be easily removed from wheat using appropriate sieves and cleaning devices; as well as underdeveloped, shriveled, and small pieces of wheat kernels removed in properly separating, properly rescreening, or properly cleaning the wheat.
What are the four primary physical characteristics that are analyzed in the grain grading process?
The US grain standards include test weight, minimum and maximum limits for protein, germination, foreign material, skinned and broken kernels, and thin barley.
What is importance of grain grading?
Grain grading and specification systems ensure that those involved in grain production, storage, and processing can handle, trade, and process grain that meets the required standards or properties.
Can grain Commission?
The Canadian Grain Commission (CGC; French: Commission canadienne des grains) is a government agency in Canada that regulates the grain-handling industry, as well as protecting producers’ rights and ensuring the integrity of grain transactions.
What does a grain grader do?
Grain graders are in charge of grading, storage, and distribution of grain, which is sold according to its class and grade. Grain graders examine representative samples of all grain deliveries and grade them to determine the quality of the grain.
What is dockage percentage?
Dockage is measured to the nearest 0.1% and is based on the sample’s gross weight. Dockage is measured in two stages. Follow standard cleaning procedures and use the Carter dockage tester.
What is the meaning of dockage?
1: a fee for the use of a dock; 2: ship docking; 3: docking facilities.
What is a dockage tester?
The Carter Dockage Tester is designed to use air, the proper riddle, and sieves to check grain samples to determine the percentage of dockage contained in each sample.
What is seed technology?
Seed technology is defined by Feistritzer (1975) as “methods for improving the genetic and physical characteristics of seeds,” which includes activities such as variety development, evaluation, and release, seed production, processing, storage, and certification.
What is foreign material in wheat?
Damaged Kernels (Total) – This factor includes all types of damage found in wheat and is recorded to the nearest tenth of a percent. Foreign Material – Foreign material refers to all matter other than wheat, including stones, that is not separated from the wheat in the proper removal of dockage.