Grain Moisture testers

[grefer]

I would like some opinions on moisture testers other than the typical model 919. It seems my 919 is almost always showing significantly lower moisture than when I give it to buyers to test. I have compared it to the neighbors 919 and they are both very close to each other in moisture content. In particular has anyone owned a Dickey John portable meter? How has it worked?

[Guest]

Tried a perten manual/automatic tester
Got every second test wrong , would add about 3 points on and show half the bushel weight. Sure slick though
Not ready for a farm shop , im thinking

[farmaholic]

Do you think terminal moisture testers have been calibrated high this year?

So much tough grain this year.

Probably want to be cautious.

We have the 919, compare it to the local terminal's every fall, was .5 lower in the past and .4 lower this fall.

The samples we deliver to terminals in fall for grading, the moisture results vary a bit from terminal to terminal.

What margin of error is too much? Only when it starts costing us?

I've been "given" breaks.

[blackpowder]

If the 919 is still CGC standard why get something different. Haven't had a portable work anyway.
More important is what are your terminals using, and how do they differ at any given time. Certainly some discrepancies.

[TASFarms]

I have a mini gac. It’s close to the elevators. Usually within a .1 or .2

[grefer]

If the 919 is still CGC standard why get something different. Haven't had a portable work anyway.
More important is what are your terminals using, and how do they differ at any given time. Certainly some discrepancies.

The few I have seen are new fancy assed ones that you just throw the grain into and stand back. The 919 may be the standard but here again the buyer not the seller has the last say. I just had some grain compared to a terminal in Saskatoon and my 919 was.7 lower. If the grain is borderline dry in the first place .7 is a problem when selling milling oats.

[Jagfarms]

The few I have seen are new fancy assed ones that you just throw the grain into and stand back. The 919 may be the standard but here again the buyer not the seller has the last say. I just had some grain compared to a terminal in Saskatoon and my 919 was.7 lower. If the grain is borderline dry in the first place .7 is a problem when selling milling oats.

Our 919 is reading a bit high compared to our local G3 terminal and sometimes the Terminal double checks with their 919 and ours is bang on with theirs.

[WiltonRanch]

One terminal I deal with uses 2 919’s for piece of mind. Other one uses the fancy $60000 one. It’s a point over the 919’s. I told the buyer wtf? He told me it reads it differently. Reason I’m not taking any more grain there. Same outfit years ago said my barley was light but using a Winchester bushel. Not naming any names as all are guilty of this at times. I find the ones with the best price have the most tricks up their sleeve.

[Wheatking]

I bought a new 919 this year. Load truck of oats and take a sample, tests 13.2 on my new tester. Haul to viterra and get a 0.7 point to point and half higher every load. Have them bag the sample to compare, they got 14, I got 13.2, take sample to pioneer and p and h, and they got 13.2 and 12.8 respectively. Took sample to CGC and they got 13.5. CGC used a perten tester, viterra gac 2500, and everyone else 919. So why the variance on the same sample. Viterra was adamant they where right and everyone else was wrong. CGC told me they have no say over moisture testers. I really don't care who's right, I just want consistency. I can't load a load and have it test dry at 3 elevators and tough at another. When I load I need to be sure what I send them is the same as when I load it as when it's unloaded. If one meter reads differently I need to know why and I need a standard across the board. I think moisture meters should be regulated like gas pumps and be calibrated by a third party a few times a year with a sticker of certification like a gas pump.

[WiltonRanch]

I bought a new 919 this year. Load truck of oats and take a sample, tests 13.2 on my new tester. Haul to viterra and get a 0.7 point to point and half higher every load. Have them bag the sample to compare, they got 14, I got 13.2, take sample to pioneer and p and h, and they got 13.2 and 12.8 respectively. Took sample to CGC and they got 13.5. CGC used a perten tester, viterra gac 2500, and everyone else 919. So why the variance on the same sample. Viterra was adamant they where right and everyone else was wrong. CGC told me they have no say over moisture testers. I really don't care who's right, I just want consistency. I can't load a load and have it test dry at 3 elevators and tough at another. When I load I need to be sure what I send them is the save as when I load it as when it's unloaded. I suspect viterra is calibrating their meters to read tough on purpose.

Experience this year I can concur.

[shtferbrains]

Same story on protein.

It can improve significantly by sitting on the truck seat for about a half hour.

Lots of places on google explain how to do Microwave moisture test for hay.

Not real convenient but lab type accuracy.

Use it to check your 919.

[Guest]

sad thing is , at the end of the day , they're right and you're wrong
and that 13.5 mt on oats that they want now with their perten testers that is really 12.5 on a 919 sure is hard to get