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September
10, 2004
Regulations
to Properly Sample and Grade Your Crop
By Brian
Sorenson
NDSU Extension Service Crop Quality Specialist and
Technical Director, Northern Crops Institute
Some of you have heard
recent news reports about problems surrounding improper grading procedures
of sprout-damaged wheat in Kansas and whether or not quality loss adjustments
would be paid to farmers. Some insurance providers denied quality adjustments
because the samples were not graded by conveyance. The USDA-RMA released
a bulletin, MGR-04-009, on Sept. 3, 2004, clarifying the issue. The bulletin
can be found at: http://www.rma.usda.gov/news/managers/2004/pdf/mgr-04-009.pdf
With weather related crop damage already reported in our region and more
on the way, producers should be aware of the regulations that require
elevators and warehouses to properly sample and grade the crop on a "per-conveyance"
(e.g., truckload delivery) basis. The Federal Crop Insurance Corporation
(FCIC) policies for grains and most oilseeds require samples be graded
under the authority of the U.S. Grain Standards Act or the U.S. Warehouse
Act. For more information on U.S. grain grading see the GIPSA-FGIS Web
site at http://www.usda.gov/gipsa/
To ensure that producers receive the maximum quality loss adjustments
available, each sample grading certificate needs to list all weather related
crop damage and quality factors that result in a grade that qualifies
for quality loss adjustment (e.g., below grade four for hard red spring
wheat and durum wheat). Low-test weight, frost, shrunken and broken kernels,
scab and sprouted kernels are examples of weather related damage. Keep
in mind that weather related damage does not include heat damage caused
by the improper drying of wet grain.
Warning: Samples must
be taken by a certified loss adjuster or a disinterested third-party upon
delivery to the elevator, not the insurance agent or the producer.
Contact your crop
insurance provider if you have any questions about your particular situation.
###
Source: Brian
Sorenson, (701) 231-6048, brian.sorenson@ndsu.nodak.edu
Editor: Rich Mattern, (701) 231-6136, richard.mattern@ndsu.nodak.edu
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