One of the most important factors in agriculture and our everyday lives is something we take for granted until we think it’s wrong. Farmers and ranchers in particular, from the time they start every morning until they come in for the evening deal with it. It may make the difference between making or losing money. Consumers deal with it every time they shop for a variety of items. Something that is a somewhat hidden but major factor in our lives – accurate measurements. Whether a weight, a volume, a length or width, or a count – the lives of agricultural producers and consumers is surrounded by measuring devices governed by rules and regulations.
So why bring this up now? Awareness on everyone’s part. Farmers and ranchers are probably more aware of the importance of accurate measurements than most but even they often don’t pay much attention until they think it’s wrong. Producers buy seed by the pound and need an accurate count of seeds per pound. They purchase inputs by the pound, ton, or gallon. The cattleman sells his calf or stocker or finished steer by the hundred weight.
As consumers, we all purchase most items with similar units – gallons of gas or milk, pounds of meat, and ounces in a can. Things you purchase by the number or count such as pills in a bottle or sheets of paper in a ream have measuring devices. So how do we know as producers and/or consumers we are getting what we pay for? The metrology industry and government agencies.
Some of the earliest and most rigorous laws enacted by Congress were to insure fairness and accuracy in agriculture. Everything from fertilizer analysis to standardizing what a bushel of wheat or corn would weigh. The Department of Commerce has a specific department to address measurement. NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) is that department. They are constantly working on national standards on everything needing measurement. They also develop proper procedures to evaluate and maintain equipment in proper order.
States such as Kansas enforce accurate measurement within their state. In Kansas, it is the Department of Weights and Measures within Agriculture. All states have similar agencies regulating devices used in commerce. These are typically in agriculture departments because of the universal use of measuring devices in agriculture. Kansas, and all other states, work with NIST primarily on a voluntary basis, to insure accuracy.
However, this extends far beyond agriculture and buying fuel. The next time you go to the store, look and see how many scales you can find. Typically, each checkout is a scanner scale. Don’t forget the deli counter or the scales in the back of the meat department. These thousands of commercial scales in Kansas, whether at the Co-op, the feedyard, the grocery, or the hardware store, are all required to be maintained and certified yearly for accuracy.