also incur costs for reconditioning the grain. 

 Understandably, buyers resent these additional costs. 



The problem of foreign material is related to the 

 issue of dockage. Under the federal grain standards, 

 foreign material is all matter other than grain that 

 remains in a sample of grain after the removal of 

 dockage and shrunken and broken kernels. ' Generally, 

 there is little difference between dockage and foreign 

 material except that foreign material is not as easily 

 removed from grain. 



The problem is that, on top of allowable dockage, 

 federal grain standards permit certain percentages of 

 foreign material in grain. In the case of U.S. No. 1 

 Wheat, exporters are allowed 0.5% foreign material. •^° 

 Thus, it is possible to sell U.S. No. 1 Wheat that is 

 certificated as being dockage-free, but that actually 

 contains 1% nongrain matter, including foreign material 



The final problem relates to blending. Blending is 

 used by exporters to improve gluten strength, -^^ to 

 achieve an average moisture content, or to reach a 

 specific protein level in grain. ^" Blending is also 

 used to facilitate the sale of low quality grain. ^■'- In 

 addition, there are indications that blending is used to 

 bring grain quality to minimum tolerances for dockage 

 and foreign material.'*^ 



A solution to these problems could come through 

 revision of the federal grain standards. However, the 

 standards, which have been in effect since 1917, haven't 

 changed much since their adoption. And there does not 

 seem to be support for major revisions in the federal 

 standards. . . 



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