Measurement in Commerce – By the Wyoming Department of Agriculture Technical Services Division

The only weight many people are think about is the number they see when they step on a scale. While that number can obviously impact how you live your life, it’s far from the only measurement that matters in day to day life. Scales and measuring devices are everywhere and impact us all. They are in grocery stores, at gas pumps, at the coal mines and many other places across the state where weight or volume is the determining factor of final cost. In fact, weight and volume are vitally important components of everyday commerce.

Even with how important weight and other measurements are to day to day life, how many times have you ever questioned the accuracy of a measurement when purchasing something based on weight or volume? If you’re like most, you assume it’s right, decide if it’s worth the cost, and pay for your item. Across the state and country, there is a very high level of trust when it comes to measuring devices at purchase points. With how many times it crosses your path, why are you so confident and trusting in scales? The easy answer is, because weights and measures programs in your state test and validate these measuring devices.

In Wyoming, the Wyoming Department of Agriculture (WDA) Technical Services Division does this work for you. Both to the consumers and the producers in our industry, the weight or volume of a product is an imperative component in its cost/value. Any measuring device that is involved in commerce is licensed, tested and approved by the WDA. This includes grocery store scales, livestock scales, gas pumps, mine scales and any other measuring device that requires measurement as part of the sale. In fact, next time you fill up your gas or buy produce from the grocery store, take a look at the pump/scale and you will find a sticker from the WDA with information about the last time that device was tested, and approved. You’ve probably never noticed it before but it’s there and is an important part of the trust you have in measuring devices across Wyoming.

Now you may ask, “What do scales have to do with Agriculture and why is that a part of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture?” The easiest answer is because of how important accurate measurements are to our industry. Producers and consumers across the state rely on the accuracy of devices when dealing with agricultural products. A rancher who has a scale that is out of calibration could be the difference between a profitable year or an unprofitable one. A consumer buying those products from the agricultural producer could be paying significantly more or less for a product than they should because the scale is not correct. To make sure it’s an even playing field, and that everyone is getting what they deserve from that transaction, the WDA tests and validates scales across the state to make sure commerce is fair to everyone when it comes to measurements.

The agriculture industry, and many other aspects of our life, rely on the accurate measurement of weight or volume. Next time you are buying meat, produce, gas from the pump, or any other weight or volume-based purchase, you can continue to rest easy knowing you are getting what you pay for.