UKGTN
Information for Members
UKGTN Standardisation Process
We are about to send out your standardisation samples, allowing us to help set you up for success in the 2023 harvest.
Please find attached here links to download the standardisation instructions from our equipment suppliers.
STANDARDISATION INSTRUCTIONS FOR 2023
15th May 2023
UKGTN Standardisation Webinar with Foss
On Thursday 3rd May we had a live webinar with Chris and Vanessa from Foss, and discussed the standardisation process that we are about to commence for the 2023 harvest.
We answered various questions, such as -
What is standardisation?
What are the members required to do?
What do the UKGTN and Foss do?
If was an excellent session, but some members could not attend, so we recorded it.
And here is the link if you wish to watch, indeed if you were on the webinar and want to watch again.
5th May 2023
Are You Aware of FossManager?
If you operate Foss NIR equipment and are a member of the UKGTN, you have the right to use a piece of software called FossManager. This allows you to monitor and manage your equipment (single machine or group of machines) from your computer.
Please find on this link a document explaining what you can do with FossManager.
If you would like access to this please contact Foss on servicebi@foss.dk
15th March 2022
Membership Survey and Feedback
On the 11th and 12th of March we will be holding our Spring committee meeting. On the agenda we have an item for feedback or comments from our membership. If you have any constructive feedback about the Netowrk we would be happy to hear this. Please send any comments to Vic, the Technical Adminstrator at admin@ukgrain.org.
We also welcome any suggestions of new commodites or extended tests for current commodities. Please use the same address if you have any other products and/or tests you think could come into the fold with the UKGTN.
24th February 2022
LATEST CALIBRATIONS IN USE FOR FULL MEMBERS
Click here to see the current list FOSS calibrations
Click here to see the current list of PERTEN calibrations
Click here to see the current list of INFRACONT calibrations
Posted in July 2021
Standardisation Process
Standardisation time is with us again.
Please find below a timetable of events and information which should help you to ensure that the process runs smoothly.
Missing or mixed-up scans and communication failures during scan upload and calibration download can cause a significant amount of work for your equipment supplier, Sciantec and the Technical Administrator. Please ensure that you follow the instructions carefully.
An email (containing the info presented here) was sent to the primary and secondary contacts for all full members of the UK Grain Testing Network. Please forward this information within your organisations to whoever needs to know the details attached.
Tuesday 11th May: Your equipment supplier carried out communication checks to ensure links were OK. Several members were contacted as no communication was able to take place. There are still a few members whose machines are not communicating with the Network. Your machine will not be standardised if these communication issues are not fixed.
Friday 21st May: Standardisation samples were sent out. If you have not received these samples by now, please contact Sciantec and advise accordingly.
Monday 24th May – Monday 31st May: Scan your standardisation samples as per instructions. Please note, this year we are asking for duplicate scans on each sample, but using the same sample ID. This year Standardisation samples are numbered as follows:
Barley GB01 – GB08 (GB09 and GB10 are intentionally missing)
Wheat GW11 – GW18 (GW19 and GW20 are intentionally missing)
Rapeseed GR21 – GR30
Oats GO31 – GO40
Tuesday 1st June: Scan collection – Once you have scanned your samples, ensure your equipment is connected to the interent.
Wednesday 2nd June: Your equipment supplier will begin to collate the scan data and produce lists of missing data. Instruments which did not connect last night will try again tonight (or run a manual sync).
Thursday 3rd June: Sciantec or the Technical Administrator will contact anyone who has not supplied scan data. If numbers are large this will be by bulk email.
Monday 7th June: We will contact you again if still not successful.
Tuesday 8th June: Scan data is sent to the equipment supplier to start data processing. If we do not have your scan data by this date then calibration download to your instrument will be delayed.
Wednesday 9th June – Monday 21st June: Data processed to standardise all instruments against the submasters and produce new calibrations.
Tuesday 22nd June : Calibration Download - ensure that all your cables are connected and that auto sync is switched on, new calibrations will be downloaded overnight.
Wednesday 23rd June – If calibrations have not downloaded run a manual sync. The equipment suppliers will begin to collate data on download success / failure.
Thursday 24th June – Your equipment supplier will continue to collate data on success / fail rates and pass data to Sciantec. Sciantec or the Technical Administrator will contact anyone who has not got new calibrations. If numbers are large this will be by bulk email.
Friday 25th June - We will contact you again if still not successful.
Wednesday 30th June – Sunday 11th July – Run the “Quick Check” samples you should have retained from the April and May Ring check rounds and enter your data on the PT Portal.
Monday 12th July – ‘Quick Check’ report published - Review your own data to ensure standardisation exercise has not caused any gross errors.
Tuesday 13th July – UKGTN Committee will hold telephone conference to discuss Quick Check report and review standardisation process.
Wednesday 14th July onwards – Hopefully your instrument is now standardised, your new calibrations have been downloaded and you have checked your results on the ‘quick check’ to satisfy yourselves that all is well. Please now consider supplying 1 kg new crop ‘Harvest samples’ and 100 kg ‘Bulk Samples’ to allow the committee to fully assess and monitor the new calibrations over the course of the next few weeks. The July ring check cannot take place until we have sufficient bulk from the new crop so the quicker we obtain these the sooner we can process them and send them back out to you.
Spring Committee Meeting
On the 11th and 12th of March we will be holding the Spring committee meeting of the UKGTN. As with the 'new norm' we will not be meeting face to face, but will hold the meeting over 2 days via Zoom.
If you have any feedback/comments/questions about the operation of the UKGTN please email Vic, our Tech Admin at admin@ukgrain.org
(25th February 2021)
Harvest Report 2020
The UKGTN carries out a lot of work during the harvest; here is a brief report on what we did during the monitoring exercise this year.
Autumn Committee Meeting
This week we are holding the Autumn committee meeting of the UKGTN. As in Spring we will not be meeting face to face, but will hold the meeting over 2 days via Zoom.
As well as discussing the harvest monitoring exercise, we will be looking at the efficiency of the ring checks and meeting the equipment suppliers, among other things.
If you have any feedback/comments/questions about the operation of the UKGTN please email Vic, our Tech Admin at admin@ukgrain.org
(10th November 2020)
SUPPLIERS' ESCALATION CHARTS
Do you have contact details for your equipment supplier? Know who to phone or email for service requests or repairs?
Here are contact details for our suppliers with equipment that are full members of the UKGTN.
Updated on 28th August 2020
BIAS ADJUSTMENTS THROUGH HARVEST MONITORING
Here are details of bias adjustments made by your Committee after careful consideration of current harvest data -
22nd Sept Foss wheat moisture to read 0.1% higher
8th Sept Perten Oats protein to read 0.4% higher
3rd Sept Perten Scottish Spring Barley nitrogen to read 0.02% higher
3rd Sept Foss all barley SW to read 0.25 higher
28th August Perten English Spring Barley nitrogen to read 0.03% higher
28th August Perten all barley moisture to read 0.13% higher
28th August Foss Oats moisture to read 0.2% higher
25th August Infracont English Spring barley nitrigen to read 0.024% higher
25th august Infracont wheat protein to read 0.21% lower and SW to read 0.49 lower
28th July Perten OSR oil to read 0.2% higher
28th July Infracont OSR oil to read 0.3% lower and moisture to read 0.5% lower
23rd July Foss OSR oil to read 0.7% higher
21st of July Infracont Winter Barley nitrogen to read 0.07% higher
Updated at end of September 2020
LATEST CALIBRATIONS IN USE FOR FULL MEMBERS
Click here to see the current list FOSS calibrations
Click here to see the current list of PERTEN calibrations
Click here to see the current list of INFRACONT calibrations
Posted on July 21st 2020
Spring Newsletter
We are pleased to have just published the first of our 'new look' newsletters.
Our plan is to publish these every quarter, keeping you up to date with news from your Network.
Click on this link to download.
Posted on 13th May 2020
Standardisation Instructions
We are about to embark on the standardisation process for this harvest season, now that we have collated all the renewal forms; thank you for continuing your membership of the Network for this year.
Sciantec, our reference lab provider, will be sending out the standardisation samples on the 21st of May. So, please watch out for the delivery of these samples, especially if there are less people on your site than normal.
The samples require to be scanned before Tuesday the 2nd of June, when the equipment suppliers will attempt to retrieve your scans.
In the links below you will find the standardisation instruction for your equipment
Posted on 1st May 2020
Servicing and Standardisation During the Covid-19 Pandemic
At the recent UKGTN Committee meeting we discussed the various options open to people for servicing their equipment prior to standardisation. This is normally a relatively easy process, however things have been complicated this year due to the Covid-19 issues.
The ideal situation would be to get your equipment serviced on site prior to standardisation (as per any normal year), if this can be done safely for your staff and servicing engineers. We suggest that you contact your equipment supplier to advise them of any new precautions you have in place with regards to Covid-19.
If this cannot be done safely or your equipment supplier deems it unsafe to visit your site we suggest the following –
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Request information from your equipment supplier about transporting your machines to the supplier premises for servicing, This is not perfect as there can be issues in transportation, but we suggest you discuss this option with your equipment supplier.
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Your supplier may be able to carry out part of the service remotely, again this would require a discussion with your supplier.
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If you cannot service on or off site prior to standardisation, we recommend that you go through the standardisation process and then do not have your equipment serviced this harvest year, but wait until next year. This option obviously is your own decision, however as a Committee we feel that servicing post-standardisation could affect your results.
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If you do decide to service your equipment after standardisation (which of course you can decide to do) we would recommend that you keep the current standardisation samples and request another standardisation process from your equipment supplier.
There will of course be potential financial issues with any of the above options, especially if you have contracted for the servicing already.
Please call myself or your equipment supplier if you wish to discuss this further. This communication has been agreed in advance with the equipment suppliers.
Best Regards,
Vic Cameron
Technical Admin, UKGTN
Posted 28th April 2020
Links to Covid-19 Statements from Equipment Suppliers
Please find below links to Covid-19 statements from the equipment suppliers for our full members -
Posted on 28th April 2020
Membership Renewal Time
It is the time of year when we require you to renew your membership of the UKGTN.
We start this process now in order to have enough time to gather the data required to implement the standardisation and calibration downloads required prior to the start of harvest.
Late return on your renewal form could result in your equipment not being ready for harvest.
Please check your Inbox from the 13th of March; this was when we sent out the renewal forms to your point of contact.
Once completed please send back to Paul at Sciantec, using the email address indicated in your renewal form.
Posted 23rd March 2020
ATTENTION ALL USERS OF FOSS DA1650
The standardisation process for DA1650s is about to commence. Here are the important dates that you should be aware of.
Wednesday 18th of March - Foss will check communications log to ensure all equipment is online
Thursday 19th of March - send out standardisation samples
Monday 30th of March - Foss will start collecting scans
Thursday 9th of April - scan collect closes
Thursday the 16th of April - new calibration downloads
We will advise soon on which samples to rerun as a ring check.
Please use the instructions attached here when scanning your samples
Posted 17th March 2020
LATEST CALIBRATIONS IN USE FOR FULL MEMBERS
Click here to see the current list FOSS calibrations
Click here to see the current list of PERTEN calibrations
Click here to see the current list of INFRACONT calibrations
Posted in March 2020