The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1917-04-12
THE new Federal
GRAIN STANDARDS
NEW GRADES MORE STRINGENT
AND TECHNICAL THAN
EVER BEFORE il.
MUCH TROUBLE WILL FOLLOW
EXPLAINED BY RAILROAD AND
WAREHOUSE COMMISSION
Err JACOBSON

topics OIL Cne OfQef OF the UnCeO
States Department of Agriculture
promulgating the Federal standards
of wheat grades, received recently b
the Minnesota Railroad and Ware
house commission, revealed that the
Federal officials, who prepared the
tentative rules, have changed their
views and have revised the standards
in several important details Had the
original recommendation of the Bu-
reau officials been adopted they would
have caused much confusion in the
grain trade generally and would have
resulted in heavy financial loss to
the producers of the Northwest. Even
at the best there is bound to be con-
siderable trouble and possibly much
loss, as the new Federal grades are
more stringent and more technical
than the present Minnesota grades,
which have been determined year by
year in response to the practical de-
mands of commerce.
After insistent demands from the
grain interests of Minnesota, backed
by formal resolution of the Mime
sofa House Of Representatives, the
Federal authorities have decided to
retain the term Northern" in hard
spring wheat classes. Northern"
spring wheat is the standard of mill
ing wheats and to have lost this grade
with the prestige it has attained in
the grain markets of the world would
have been very serious blow to the
grain industry Of Minnesota.
The government has also modified
position with reference to the maxi
mum percentage of moisture content
of wheat. At the final hearing en- the
adoption of the Federal standards, the
Minnesota Railroad and Warehouse
Commission presented what it regards
as unassailable proof that wheat con-
tanning at least 1 per cent more mois-
ture than the proposed maximum fix
ed in the tentative grades, would keep
in a warehouseable condition for at
least a year. The new Federal grades
do not allow this additional 1 per cent,
but the maximum has been raised one
half Of one per cent in each grade, Sc
that IS and 81 pound wheats of Min
nesota and the Northwest may con-
tain 14.5 per cent moisture instead of
IA per cent, and the lower grades may
have maximum moisture content of
1915 per cent instead of Is per cent
as proposed in the Federal tentative
standards.
The Federal grades have been fur
ther revised with reference to the stat
les or mixed wheat ana the Kew stand
ards provide that all classes may con-
tain as high as 10 per cent of other
wheat without losing it's Identification
For instance, Northern spring wheat
may contain 10 per cent of Durum and
still retain it's Northern grade. The
rule relating to the percentage of in
separable foreign material in wheat
also has been made less stringent.
eve did not obtain all the conces-
sions that we sought from the depart
ment of Agriculture" explained the
Railroad Commissioner, o. P B.
jacobson, who made four different
trips to Washington to oppcs =.
adoption of the TECHNICAL Federal
standards, "but what we did obtain
will be of immense benefit to our
farmers. The new Federal standards
will not result in serious hardship to
our farmers, but our fight has not
been entirely in vain and the conces-
sions that were made will mean humid
reds of thousands of dollars in the
pockets of our farmers, which would
have been lost had the tentative stand
ards been officially promulgated"