Cleaning the Grain

Cleaning the Grain
Most grains are not cleaned either by farmers or by country elevators.

Wheat delivered at an elevator is sampled and graded with considerable accuracy and the elevator operator usually makes a price adjustment on the basis of moisture content, test weight, foreign material and damaged or broken kernels.

It is not customary to clean or blend to adjust the grade at small country elevators; however where facilities permit, it is often possible to improve the grade of some of the wheat by properly mixing different batches of grain held in storage.

The most important reason why wheat is not cleaned once it has been weighed and graded is that to discard any material whatever results in a weight loss and therefore an economic loss.

Normally, whatever material is removed from wheat is the cleaning process has less value than wheat; consequently, cleaning results in a direct financial loss. The task cleaning is left to the processor.

Wheat received at terminal elevators may be treated in a variety of ways, such as by drying, washing, cleaning, separating or sizing. Also, various grades and qualities can be collected and blended to supply processors with wheat of uniform quality in large quantities.

It is common practice to blend different lots of wheat to obtain the highest grade for the largest amount of grain.
Cleaning the Grain