As harvest season gets under way across Southern Africa, wheat and barley are coming off the lands, baling season is starting, and the tobacco harvest is approaching. Knowing your moisture content before delivery can help protect both crop quality and your returns.
Why moisture matters
Grain deliveries are routinely checked for moisture content. Grain that exceeds the buyer’s permitted moisture level may incur drying charges, receive a lower grade or be rejected, depending on the buyer’s requirements.
The risks continue after harvest. Warm storage conditions combined with excessive moisture can encourage mould growth and accelerate deterioration, potentially damaging both quality and value.
The safe storage life of grain depends on its moisture content, temperature, condition and storage environment. Regular monitoring matters, particularly during warmer weather.
Each two-point rise in moisture roughly halves safe storage time, and summer heat cuts it further. Source: NDSU Extension.
The answer? Measure accurately, sample properly and know your moisture content before delivery.
For 80 years, BAMR has supplied quality-control instrumentation to customers across Africa. Our Protimeter moisture meters help farmers make more informed decisions about their crops.
Grainmaster i2: fewer surprises at intake
The Protimeter Grainmaster i2 measures grain moisture using a ground-sample method designed for repeatability. Its pre-programmed calibrations cover 15 crops, including wheat, barley, maize, soya, sunflower and sorghum.
The supplied grinder-compressor prepares the sample for measurement, helping to improve consistency between readings.
With appropriate sampling and calibration, you can compare your farm measurements with your buyer’s intake results and make better-informed decisions about whether to deliver or dry your grain first.
Digital Bale Master: finding moisture where it hides
Moisture can be unevenly distributed within a bale, including towards the centre, where a surface check may not reveal the full picture.
The Protimeter Digital Bale Master features a 584 mm stainless-steel probe designed to reach deep into hay and straw bales. It is also relevant to growers who need to monitor moisture in baled agricultural material, subject to suitability for the intended application.
For hay and lucerne, excess moisture can lead to heating, mould and loss of feed quality. In tobacco production, managing moisture is also important for protecting leaf quality during handling and storage.
- Moisture costs money at the floors. In the first 38 days of the 2017 sales season, 89,304 bales were rejected at Zimbabwe’s tobacco floors, up 43% on 2016, with mouldy or wet tobacco among the main reasons. Even after a sale, Tobacco Research Board work found that merchants lose about 1% of purchases to storage mould. Sources: TIMB via CFU Zimbabwe; Tobacco Research Board, CORESTA 1994.
The Digital Bale Master provides green, yellow and red indicators, an audible alert and Bluetooth connectivity to the Protimeter Connect app, allowing readings to be recorded and shared.
Three habits for more reliable readings
- Sample widely. Take readings from several representative locations in your load, bin or bale stack. Follow the appropriate sampling method for your crop and use representative results rather than relying on a single reading.
- Account for temperature. Grain temperature can affect moisture measurements. Follow the meter manufacturer’s instructions for temperature compensation and sample preparation.
- Check against your buyer. At the start of the season, compare measurements using the same representative sample and agree on the appropriate sampling and calibration procedure with your buyer. Investigate differences before relying on the readings for delivery decisions.
Backed locally
Both instruments are made by Protimeter, part of Amphenol, and come with a two-year manufacturer’s warranty, subject to its terms and exclusions.
BAMR provides local product support to help you get the best from your equipment.
Tel: 021 683 2100
Email: sales@bamr.co.za
Website: www.bamr.co.za
