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As an existing print subscriber it is easy to get FREE access to all our online content. When you click get started below it will walk you through creating an online account to attach your print subscription number to. After your account is created it will ask you to either add a subscription for online access or click on the print subscriber button. Click the print subscriber button header and it will open a dropdown, now click on get started. The page will reload and you will be prompted to enter an account number and a zip code. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO USE THE NUMBER OFF OF THE MOST RECENT ISSUE OR ANYTHING AFTER JANUARY 28, 2019 TO GAIN ACCESS! OLD ACCOUNT NUMBERS WILL NOT WORK The account number and zip code are easily available on your most recent issue of the High Plains Journal or Midwest Ag Journal in the address fields as is shown here. Sometimes the account number has extra zero's in front of it, just ignore those. The objective of this fact sheet is to explain how and why grain test weight is used in the grain market, and how producers can ensure acceptable test weights from their crop production program. Bushel is a volume measurement for grain created many years ago by Celtic peoples (Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Ireland) to facilitate fair grain trade. The bushel measurement was not defined in terms of cubic feet, but is currently considered to be about 1.25 cubic feet in volume. Although grain is referred to in terms of bushels in the United States, it is referenced and traded on the basis of weight (tons or metric tons) throughout the rest of the world. To facilitate the trading of grain, the USDA created weight standards for each grain so that grain could be weighed to determine the number of bushels rather than trying to make volume measurements. Corn was assigned a bushel weight of 56 pounds, while soybeans and wheat were assigned bushel weights of 60 pounds. Some other examples are: Rye at 56 pounds per bushel, barley at 48, oat and fescue at 32, etc. The test weight concept was developed many years ago by the grain trade as a means of accounting for the varying densities of grain caused by weather and/or production practices. When grain density is lower than the accepted standard (low test weight), more volume is needed to store and transport a given weight of grain, thus increasing storage and transport costs. Different grades of each grain have different standard test weights. For example, No. 2 yellow corn has a standard of 56 pounds per bushel while No. 3 yellow corn has a lower weight. Test weight is determined on each load of grain sold by weighing a known volume of the grain. If the weight is lower than the acceptable range, the sale is "docked" on a percentage basis. The seller of grain with test weight greater than the acceptable range is usually not rewarded for a superior product. The test weight is also used in quality standards for small grains like soft red winter wheat, barley, and oats, but soybean grades are not impacted by test weight. Other factors, such as cracked kernels, foreign materials, splits, and heat damaged kernels also contribute to grading standards. The details of how test weight differs between grades for corn and more common small grains can be seen in Table 1.
Varieties of a crop often vary in their inherent test weight. Two common causes of low test weights are:
Grain is seldom sold at the standard moisture content (soybean—13 percent, corn—15.5 percent). When grain moisture content is greater than the standard, the grain weight is discounted to account for the extra moisture according to the formula: (100% - wet%) divided by (100% - dry%). For a sample of soybeans at 18 percent moisture, the calculation would be: (100 - 18) divided by (100 - 13) = 82/87 = 0.94. Multiplying the weight of the wet grain by 0.94 will give the weight of the grain at 13 percent moisture. For example: 6000 pounds of soybeans at 18 percent grain moisture would become 5640 pounds of grain at 13 percent moisture (6000 X 0.94 = 5640). While the 56 pound per bushel test weight for corn is based on a moisture content of 15.5 percent moisture, some grain purchasers will use a moisture value of 15 percent and retain the 56 pounds per bushel value for calculation. If grain is dryer than the standard, that same equation can be used to calculate the increased weight that should be credited to the seller, although that calculation is seldom made and the seller is not usually rewarded for the low moisture content. This calculation works for any grade of any grain for which a standard moisture content is specified. Original author: Dr. Jim Beuerlein, Retired, Extension Agronomist. (Originally published in 2000.) How heavy is a bushel of sorghum?Section 600.TABLE B Standard Weight Per Bushel for Agricultural Commodities. What is the weight of 1 bushel?Corn was assigned a bushel weight of 56 pounds, while soybeans and wheat were assigned bushel weights of 60 pounds. Some other examples are: Rye at 56 pounds per bushel, barley at 48, oat and fescue at 32, etc.
How many pounds make a bushel?Bushel 60 lbs. Peck 15 lbs. Bags - varying sizes 5 or 10 lbs.
How many pounds is a bushel of peas?(31) A bushel of peas shall weigh sixty pounds (60 lbs.). (32) A bushel of peas, split, shall weigh sixty pounds (60 lbs.).
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