I* Agriculture Canada PUBLICATION 1606 1976 N */ *4t METRIC AND GRAIN HANDLING The change to the metric system which began recently in the domestic operations of Canada's grain industry, will be phased in over several years to allow time to adjust. "Going metric" is necessary if Canada is to compete effectively in the competitive world of international grain trade. Handling grain under the old system requires up to 13 conversions from pounds to bushels and vice versa depending on the final destination of the grain. This is inefficient and causes problems. Under the metric system, the 'metric ton' (tonne) is used for all grain handling operations. Grain has long figured in measurements used by civilized man. For example, many years ago a 'foot' was defined as the length of 36 kernels of barley put end to end. However, with so much variation in size of grains, and in other measuring standards of the day, such units of measurement were hardly consistent. Consequently, the metric system — a set of dimen- sions based on an accurate, scientific measure — was designed during the nineteenth century. Metric's distinct advantage is that all its units — length, area, volume and weight (mass)1 — are related in a way that simplifies calculation. Today, because of its simplicity, the metric system is replacing all other measurement systems in the world. Let's look at the various aspects of metric conversion and consider what it means to you. A QUICK LOOK AT METRIC The metric system has a base of 10, like our dollars and cents. Just as a dollar is worth 100 cents, so a metre is composed of 100 centimetres. The metre is the basis of the whole metric system. A half metre is shown along the top of this publication, that is, 50 centimetres (50 cm). The 10 divisions between the centimetres are called millimetres. The following table will help you understand the metric system. Note the prefixes which indicate size. Area measurements are shown with a superscript2 because two dimensions are required (length and width); and measures of volume are shown with a superscript3 because three dimensions are required (length, width and height). 'To most people the difference between weight and mass is not important. Means Example Multiply of Prefix by Common Use symbols Kilo 1000 A kilometre (1000 metres) km A kilogram (1000 grams) kg Hecto 100 Rarely used (hectometre) hm Deca 10 Rarely used (decametre) dam Unit 1 A metre, a gram, a litre m,g, Deci 1/10 Rarely used (decimetre) dm Centi 1/100 Mostly used for centimetres cm Milli 1/1000 Mostly used for millimetres and mm millilitres ml Measures of area are: square metre (m2); square centimetre (cm2); and square kilometre (km2). For farmland measurements, the hectare (ha) is used — a square of 100 metres by 100 metres; in other words, an area of 10 000 m2. All land area measurements will be expressed in hectares eventually. Rates of seeding etc., will be based on the hectare. Measures of volume are cubic metre (m3) and cubic centimetre (cm3). The cubic kilometre is seldom used because it is too large. The common unit for weight (or mass) is the kilogram which equals 1000 grams (see table). One thousand kilograms (1000 kg) equal 1 tonne (note the spelling). The metric tonne is heavier (by 205 lb) than the commonly used short ton (2000 lb). All weights in the grain industry are based on the tonne. CHANGES Let's assume we're looking at an elevator receipt under the new system. It shows 7.780 1 — that's 7.780 tonnes delivered to the elevator. Grain prices also are expressed differently. For example, wheat at $3.75 per bushel is $137.80 per tonne; barley at $2.24 per bushel becomes $102.90 per tonne; and at $1.10 per bushel oats are $71.35 per tonne. Now, supposing our receipt shows 7.780 t of wheat delivered at $137.80 a tonne, we can expect to receive 7.780 x 137.80 = $1072.08 for the de- livery. Grain elevator companies in Canada buy and sell grain by the tonne and most feed mills and feed retailers now sell their products in metric units. Grain producers are not obliged to buy new seeders marked in metric. However, many farm machinery manufacturers will be selling seeder attachments with metric measurements. For the time being, a rule of thumb for seeding larger grains (wheat, barley, oats and corn) is that 1 lb/acre is about the same as 1 .1 kg/ha. So for these crops there is no need to change existing equipment. However, growers who handle smaller seed sizes will need to follow instructions given on seed bags, or use conversion charts. METRIC CONVERSION ON THE FARM In getting used to the changeover, it's helpful to practice measuring in metric! Here are some examples: 1 . How many tonnes of wheat, barley or oats does your truck hold? Simple! Measure the width and length of your truck box. Metric tapes are available in many stores . Suppose you find the truck box is 246 cm by 524 cm, or in metres that's 2.46 m by 5.24 m. Calculate the area of the box floor in square metres by multiplying 2.46 x 5.24 and you get 1 2.89 m2. Now, say you have a level load of wheat that is 1.20 m (120 cm) deep. How many tonnes are in the box? That depends on how much volume of grain will give 1 tonne. So you need to know the volume, which is easily found by multiplying the floor area (12.89 m2) by the depth (1 .20 m) and you get 1 5.47 m3. How many tonnes in 15.47 m3 of wheat? This table will help: Average volume (mVt) Wheat, soybeans 1 .30 Flax 1.54 Corn 1 .43 Rye 1 .37 Rapeseed 1 .56 Barley 1.61 Buckwheat 1 .64 Oats (40 Ib/bu) 2.13 So, in 15.47m3 of wheat there are: 15 47 m3 lo*/m = 11. 900 tonnes 1.30 m3/t Using the same table, you can calculate how many tonnes of other grains the same volume in your truck box would contain, for example, flax 10.820 tonnes, barley 9.260 tonnes, or oats 7.730 tonnes. The same procedure can be used to measure grain in a storage bin. 2. A simple measuring stick can show your load in tonnes at a glance. Here is how it works: Calculate the depth of 1 tonne of grain in your truck box. Using the truck box in example 1 , we have a floor area of 1 2.89 m2 that will be loaded with wheat that has a volume of 1 .30 m3 per tonne. To find the depth of 1 tonne of wheat, divide its volume by the area of the truck box floor, or in this case: 0.10 m (or 10cm) 12.89 rrv For a truck box like the one in our illustration, a measuring stick marked at 10 cm intervals will indicate how many tonnes of wheat the truck holds. You can use a broom handle or some other straight stick to make a measuring stick for each crop you handle. Remember, each stick is good onfy for the truck (or bin) for which it is made. Instead of the measuring stick, you could mark the measurements on the truck box itself as they apply to the crops you will handle. 3. How to measure your land in metric. An accurate knowledge of the exact size of your fields is important for efficient use of both land and machinery. Also, allowance must be made for unproductive areas such as drainage ditches and farm roads. For measuring your land in metres, use the following simple formula: width(miUoonqth(m) = area in hectares- If you don't have the measurements in metres, you can make a conversion using one yard equals 0.91 metre. If you have your land area in acres, multiply the acreage by 0.405 to get the area in hectares. As a rule of thumb, there are 2.5 acres in a hectare. 4. How to calculate weight from volume using metric. A valuable feature of the metric system is that a cubic metre (m3) contains 1000 litres (£) and if this cube is filled with water it weighs 1000 kilograms (kg) or 1 tonne (t). Density (weight per volume) is rarely used in the English system of measurement, but becomes quite handy with metric. The density of water is 1 tonne per cubic metre. If you know the density of a given material, by measuring its volume you can calculate its weight. The density of wheat is approximately 0.77 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2013 http://archive.org/details/metricgrainhandl1606cana t/m3. Therefore, a m3 of wheat weighs 1 m3 x 0.770 0.770 tonne or 770 kg. HOW TO CONVERT POUNDS TO TONNES lb t lb t lb .I 10 0.005 100 0.045 1000 0.454 20 0.009 200 0.091 2000 0.907 30 0.014 300 0.136 3000 1.361 40 0.018 400 0.181 4000 1.814 50 0.023 500 0.227 5000 2.268 60 0.027 600 0.272 6000 2.722 70 0.032 700 0.318 7000 3.175 80 0.036 800 0.363 8000 3.629 90 0.041 900 0.408 9000 4.082 Ex: 2000 lb 500 lb 70 lb 0.907 t 0.227 t 0.032 t II 2570 lb 1.166t METRIC COORDINATORS Nova Scotia David M. Smith Department of Agriculture and Marketing Market Development Kentville, N.S. B4N1J5 New Brunswick Gary Cole Department of Agriculture and Rural Development P.O. Box 6000 Fredericton, N.B. E3B5H1 Prince Edward Island Andrew Bootsma Department of Agriculture Soils and Crops P.O. Box 1600 Charlottetown, P.E.I. C1A7N8 Newfoundland R. J. Traverse Department of Forestry and Agriculture Confederation Building St. John's, Nfld. A1C5T7 Quebec Jean-Yves Paquin Department of Agriculture Information 200 Chemin Ste-Foy, Quebec, Que. G1R4X6 Ontario B. R. Eaton Ministry of Agriculture and Food Queen's Park Toronto, Ont. M7A 2B2 Manitoba Orly Friesen Department of Agriculture Marketing and Production 91 1 Norquay Building Winnipeg, Man. R3C 0P8 Saskatchewan Henry Zilm Department of Agriculture Statistics Regina, Sask. S4S 0B1 Alberta G. L. Calver Department of Agriculture Engineering and Home Design 9718 — 107 Street Edmonton, Alta. T5K2C8 British Columbia M.J. O'Reilly Department of Agriculture Metric Committee Victoria, B.C. V8V1H4 Metric Commission, Ottawa Barclay Craig Sector Plan Manager Steering Committee #61 Metric Commission 301 Elgin Street Ottawa, Ont. K2P1M5 Canada Grains Council Metric Committee J. J. Harris 400-1 77 Lombard Ave. Winnipeg, Man. R3B 0W5 Copies of this publication may be obtained from INFORMATION DIVISION CANADA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OTTAWA K1A0C7 ^MINISTER OF SUPPLY AND SERVICES CANADA 1977 The text for this pamphlet was adapted from Farm Letter #96 issued by Agriculture Canada 100M— 38258— 3:77 Cat. No.: A53-1 606/1 976 ISBN 0-662-00322-5 Runge Press Contract No.: 01 A08-5-38258 Frangais disponible sur demande