Moisture Testers: Helping You Find the Right Balance

When it comes to moisture and grain, you have to find the right balance. You don’t want it to have too much, and you don’t want it to have too little. You want it to have just the right amount, and a portable moisture tester is perfect for helping you do that.

But just using a tester isn’t enough to ensure you’ve found that balance. If it gives you an inaccurate reading, you might as well not have used it. In other words, you want to be sure the tester’s doing its job. How do you do that? By following these tips from Farm and Livestock Directory:

• Make sure the tester is working properly – This includes checking the battery as well as all of the functions. A bad battery will result in bad readings; and since a low battery isn’t always obvious, changing it out every year is recommended.
• Compare your readings with those of your local grain elevator – To do this, take grain from several plants, mix them together, let them sit awhile, and then test them. Repeating the test several times and averaging the readings will give you the most accurate results. Once you’ve done this, test the sample with the device at the elevator. If the samples differ (1.0 points or more for dry grain and 1.5 points or more for wet grain), you need to have your moisture tester checked out.
• Know how your tester compensates for the temperature of the grain – The temperature of the grain can affect the moisture tester’s results. Some testers will compensate for that automatically while others will expect some input from you, so knowing how your device deals with it is important.

Getting an inaccurate reading from your moisture tester can mean a crop with too much moisture or one with not enough – either of which can be devastating to your business, something you want to avoid at all costs. So take care of your tester and follow the tips above to help ensure your crop is the best it can be.

AgPoint Precision calibrates and services many brands of moisture testers for the grain and seed industries. Contact us for service or help in choosing the moisture tester that’s right for you.