Farmers seeing steep discounts in prices for their soybeans at grain elevators have little recourse, Arkansas agriculture officials said Wednesday.
According to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, heavy and consistent rainfall have caused beans still in the field to mold or sprout, become discolored or hold too much moisture.
V.O. "Butch" Calhoun, state Plant Board director, said aside from soybeans being rejected at the grain elevator, the worst case he's heard about was a farmer who was docked $3 a bushel despite having a pre-harvest contract for more than $9 a bushel.
Sam Angel of Lake Village, AR, a farmer and member of the Agriculture Board, said of farmers' complaints, "They are not denying damage, but they are getting harmed by inconsistencies in grading at the elevators."
Angel said he has seen a wide range of discounts, or penalties, being applied to truckloads of beans from the same field, harvested with the same equipment.
Read the full article at the Arkansas Democrat Gazette.
