Test variations frustrating to farmers

Press, 25 May 1977, Page 2

Test variations frustrating to farmers

Apart from the price of wheat, variations in the results of testing for baking quality are the greatest deterrent to wheat growing, according to the chairman of the dominion agriculture section of Federated Farmers (Mr A. L. Mulholland). Mr Mulholland said at a meeting of the Wheat Research committee yesterday that he had . never encountered more “frustration and bloody-mindedness” on the part of farmers than over these variations. The director of the Wheat Research Institute (Mr R. W. Cawley), whose organisation does the testing, said that the test was asked to carry a burden that it was never intended to carry. A great deal of the crop now scored about 30, which meant that it could fall just short of qualifying for milling grade, or just succeed in making the grade. However, the test was not designed for this. At the time it was introduced, there was also not a great deal of difference in the price of milling and feed wheat, but in some areas there could now be quite a lot of difference, Mr Cawley said. When it was introduced it was intended to exclude damaged and low baking quality lines, and to allow millers to classify wheat in terms of quality. In a report to the committee, Mr Cawley said that the Wheat Board had asked its graders to submit samples for test from every line of wheat delivered to the board. The results of these tests would be compared with those carried out at harvest.

The general manager of the board (Mr E. R. W. Reed) said that up to last week about 600 samples had been retested, and about 10 per cent of these had moved from milling grade to undergrade. While in several instances there had only been differences of one or two points in the results of these tests, compared with those done at harvest time, there had been some variations of 10 points. Mr Cawley said that in some cases the two samples did not look alike. Mr Reed said that 50 of the 60 lines that had been downgraded were of the Karamu variety, and because of this an instruction had been sent to the board’s brokers that before deliveries of the variety were accepted for shipping, a sample test would be required. Problems of sampling, and a possible change in quality of the wheat while held in storage, were suggested as reasons for the variations in the tests. Mr Cawley said I that there was probably no

one explanation for the problem. Committee members felt that growers should be informed about the position, and what was being done to improve it. Mr J. T. Gould, a baker representative, was one of these. He said that circumstances in the industry were changing, and the systems that had been devised to control the industry did not necessarily take account of these changes. Mr Gould said that an improved system of quality evaluation had to be developed as soon as possible, but if it could not be done it should be said publicly. The committee received further reports on studies of a system of paying for wheat on quality, but there was some disappointment expressed that no time had been given for the implementation of the system. While Mr Mulholland urged that the improvement of sampling methods was a major requirement, and no matter how accurate Other aspects of the testing procedure were, they would be useless if samples were not representative, Mr Cawley said that under a payment for quality system tests would be done on the wheat when delivered, an:' there were facilities for drawing samples from trucks.

On the suggestion of Mr Mulholland the committee decidded to explain to growers the limitations of the present testing procedures, to describe the studies on a new system of more accurate quality evaluation with, if possible, some indication of the time when the new procedures would be introduced, and also to urge that publicity be given to the findings of the Wheat Board’s re-test’ g exercise when it was completed.