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CapitalPress.com
January 27, 2017
Panel tackles falling number problems
By MATTHEW WEAVER
Capital Press
A panel of experts at this
year’s Spokane Ag Expo and
Pacific Northwest Farm Forum
will discuss the impacts falling
number tests have had on wheat
growers’ wallets.
More than 40 percent of soft
white wheat samples tested by
the state’s grain inspectors had
low falling number in 2016.
“You’d be hard-pressed to
find somebody that didn’t have
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Kids will create ag-themed entries for new contest
Visit us at Spokane Ag Expo!
Capital Press
The Spokane Ag Expo
will host a new event this
year for kids ages 12 and un-
der.
The “Kids Creative Cor-
ner” contest is for young-
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Kids were invited to cre-
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to determine falling number
and improve grain handling,
particularly during harvest.
They’re also discussing im-
provements to the current test
equipment and procedure to
increase the accuracy and reli-
ability.
grain inspection program.
The Falling Numbers Pan-
el will be at 9 a.m. Thursday
in Convention Center Semi-
nar Rooms 402 B&C.
A falling numbers machine
may also be on site for farmers
to see how the test is done.
The panel will cover cus-
tomer requirements for falling
number tests and the reasons
they have them, Sullivan said.
Carter will talk about the ag-
ronomics involved in falling
number.
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“The last few years, we
thought we were on track to
have a pretty clear indicator of
what varieties were susceptible,
and this year, everything got
flip-flopped, so we’re now back
to square one,” Sullivan said.
Sullivan said the commis-
sion and state Department of
Agriculture are talking to the
USDA Agricultural Research
Service and USDA Federal
Grain Inspection Service about
developing a rapid, simple test
for grain elevators and growers
an issue with it,” said Mary
Palmer Sullivan, vice president
of the Washington Grain Com-
mission. “Everybody’s talking
about it and there’s a lot of peo-
ple that are very upset, because
it’s hitting them financially in a
way that’s hard to understand.”
The panel includes commis-
sion representatives Ty Jessup
and Damon Filan, Washington
State University winter wheat
breeder Arron Carter and Don
Potts, Eastern Washington re-
gional manager of the state
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About the falling
number test
Grain elevators use the
Hagberg-Perten falling num-
ber test to measure starch dam-
drawing or painting, recy-
cled art or clay.
Expo Director Myrna
O’Leary said an Expo at-
tendee suggested the contest
after last year’s event.
“(She) said, ‘I have an
idea for something at your
show,’” O’Leary said. “I
thought it was a great idea,
the board thought it was a
great idea, so we’re trying
it.”
Entries were must be a
size that can be hand-car-
ried. They are to be dropped
off 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 6
at the Spokane Convention
Center at the corner of Spo-
kane Falls Boulevard and
Division Street, and must be
age due to sprouting in wheat.
A low falling number indi-
cates a high level of alpha am-
ylase, an enzyme that degrades
starch and diminishes the qual-
ity of wheat products.
Rain and temperature fluc-
tuations are the primary caus-
es.
Discounts for falling num-
ber vary depending on the el-
evator. Some companies dock
a penny per point below 300,
so a result of 280 would cause
a 20-cent per bushel discount.
picked up between noon and
2:30 p.m. on Feb. 9.
Entries will be displayed
during the Expo.
All entrants receive a free
ticket to the Expo, plus two
more tickets for family or
friends.
Prizes include “Best of
Show,” “Most Creative” and
“Show Director’s Choice.”
Each winner in the three cat-
egories will receive $25 and
a ribbon.
Winners will be an-
nounced on the first day of
the Expo at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 7.
O’Leary hopes the contest
becomes an annual event.
“(It) gets the younger ones
involved,” O’Leary said.
2017 Pacific Northwest Farm
Forum Bronze Sponsors
AGPRO Marketing & Manu-
facturing Inc.
AgVentures NW LLC
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Banner Bank
Columbia Grain Inc.
CO–Energy, A Connell Oil In-
corporated Company
Global Harvest Foods LTD
Great Western Malting Com-
pany
Inland Power & Light
INB
L7 Trading LLC
Pomeroy Grain Growers Inc.
Port of Whitman County
Rain and Hail LLC, Northwest
Division
State Bank Northwest
Syngenta
The Haskins Company
The McGregor Company
Tri-State Seed Company
Washington Wheat Founda-
tion
West Coast Seed Mill Supply
Company
Whitgro Inc.
Wilbur-Ellis Company
Winston & Cashatt, Lawyers