Montana pulse growers know that grasshoppers are more than just a nuisance—they’re a grading nightmare when it comes to lentils. In recent seasons, insect pressure has impacted the quality classification of lentils, even when the product is otherwise sound. Here’s what’s happening—and what farmers can do about it.
A Mechanical System That Can’t Always Tell the Difference
The USDA’s Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) relies on mechanical sieving and screens to remove dockage and evaluate grain quality. Unfortunately, “grasshopper parts and lentils are very much the same size,” said Todd Scholz, Vice President of Research & Member Services at USA Pulses in a recent video they produced on the topic. “Their system is primarily mechanical,” he adds, meaning that insect parts like grasshopper heads often remain in the sample, undetected by machinery but significant enough to affect grading.
If the grading occurs after dockage removal and insect parts are still present, the results can be harsh. “The farmer will receive a sample grade—’distinctly low quality’—and then get discounted by some of the buyers,” says Jeff Winkler, the owner and operator of Madoc Ag, a commodity trading and agronomy consulting company in Fort Benton.
When a #1 Becomes a Sample Grade
Dan Bruce of Columbia Grain put it bluntly: “This is actually a number one product, but it is getting sample grade lentils because it has two or more insect dead parts in it.” That small amount of foreign material is enough to downgrade an entire load and potentially hurt a grower’s bottom line.
Yet the lentils themselves aren’t always the problem. “Those insect parts would be pulled out through processing and it doesn’t reflect the quality of the lentils themselves overall,” Winkler adds.
Request a Thresher-Run Grade Instead
For farmers delivering lentils during peak harvest, one way to minimize the grading damage is to request a “thresher-run analysis.” According to Winkler, “the farmer should… specifically request that their sample be submitted for thresher-run analysis.” This avoids the “distinctly low quality” (DLQ) label that would be applied to dockage-free lentils showing insect contamination.
“A thresher-run grade is not going to tell you what kind of grade you have,” Bruce clarifies, “but it will not have a DLQ.”
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Questions
Grading isn’t a black box. “The grading system is an open system,” Scholz points out. “You can call your grader and find out why your grade is evaluated the way it is.”
And while it’s not exactly entertaining reading, Jeff Winkler suggests visiting the USDA website to review grading standards. “If you’re familiar with those standards, then when you get your samples back, you can take a look at that inspection certificate, compare it to the grade standard, and see if there’s anything in there that raises a red flag.”
The Bottom Line
Grasshopper contamination is a seasonal challenge, but it doesn’t have to result in automatic downgrades. Understanding the inspection process, requesting a thresher-run grade, and communicating with graders can help ensure that high-quality lentils are graded fairly.
▶ Want to dig deeper into lentil grading? Learn how to request a USDA lentil inspection by reading the following post.
