10/02/06 Dockage discounts questioned

Farm and Ranch October 2, 2006 The Washington Wheat Commission wants to sit down with exporters and talk about dockage. Commission Chairman Randy Suess, a wheat grower from Whitman County, Washington, raised the subject at the panel's last meeting. Suess: "I guess it was because a lot of people in my area we had some of the cleanest wheat we ever harvested before even of my farm where it averaged two-tenths dockage. That still cost me two cents. Everything between two-tenths and six tenths dockage all receives a two cent deduction. I guess I don't quite understanding the reasoning behind it. I know that we need the money to provide the cleaners to compete with Australia who cleans all their wheat. But on the other hand a lot of our countries only demand three-tenths dockage in their specs. So I think three-tenths should be a push and anything under that should be a push and maybe we should take a look at having the dockage start above the three-tenths limit where those specific countries like Japan and Korea are requesting." So the Commission may set up a meeting with exporters. Suess: "I don't know if anything will become of it but I think it will be an education process in a way that we can go back to farmers and explain what is going on. But I think it is worth the effort of the commission to explore this and try and put an extra couple of cents in people's pockets." Suess does acknowledge that dockage discounts have prompted growers to deliver cleaner grain and make their wheat more competitive on the world market. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.