Dockage is often a contentious issue between farmers and receiving houses. This page shows images of clean buckwheat and screeings to give growers an idea of what to expect.
Clean
buckwheat
This sample has been through the seed cleaner at a receiving
house and is what the paid weight was based on. Naked kernels are acceptable
to this buyer since it is milled. The seed would be recleaned if it was
to be used for sowing.
Screenings
These are the screeings that were removed from the load to get
the sample above. There appear to be a lot of kernels, but they are all
empty. The light colored kernels are obiously empty, but even the dark
ones weigh very little. These screenings weigh only about one fifth as
much as the seed by volume.
More
screenings
These a screenings from another load of buckwheat. There were
many weed seeds in this load, which can cause the stored grain to heat
quickly. Here there are fewer false kernels.
Raw
sample with 10% dockage
This sample would be docked 10%. It looks cleaner than that,
but the dockage is mostly false kernels as shown in the first screenings
sample above.
Updated June 25, 1997
Thomas Björkman