Field Evaluation of the Lummus Bale Moisture Monitor

The Lummus Bale Moisture Monitor is a lint moisture measurement system that determines an average bale moisture content through the application of the bale compression algorithms developed in the 1970’s by the USDA-ARS Stoneville Ginning Lab.  While it has been successfully used on both down-packing and up-packing bale presses around the world since its commercial introduction in 2006, the stand-alone model had never been scientifically evaluated for accuracy by an independent source.  In this study, two Bale Moisture Monitor units on independent presses, operating side-by-side in the same ginning facility, were calibrated by Lummus personnel.  An independent consultant was contracted to obtain lint samples from bales, whose final moisture contents were logged based on results shown on the Bale Moisture Monitors.  The lint samples then had their moisture contents determined using the oven-based method covered in the ASTM-D2495 protocol, and these results were compared to the original moisture content readings from the Bale Moisture Monitors.  In addition to this testing, other operating parameters of the side-by-side moisture restoration systems were also evaluated.