A PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP SERVING AMERICAN AGRICULTURE
The official grain inspection and weighing system serves producers, handlers, processors, exporters, importers, and end-users of American grain by providing consistent and professional grain inspection and weighing services.
The official system is a unique public-private partnership overseen by the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS), a program within the Agricultural Marketing Service. The system includes Federal offices and State and private agencies authorized by FGIS to provide official inspection and weighing services to the domestic and export grain trade. While the composition of the official system is diverse, its results are not. Every customer — whether on the East Coast or the Gulf of Mexico, or in the Midwest or the Pacific Northwest — receives consistent, accurate service. That’s because every official service provider operates under uniform, official U.S. grain standards and procedures.
Companies’ internal quality control pro-grams and independent laboratories can provide grain quality analyses. Only the partners of the official system — FGIS field offices and State and private agencies authorized by FGIS — can provide an official grain inspection certificate. The official system provides more than just information on the quality and quantity of grain inspected. It assures...
Consistancy
All official agencies are strictly guided by the United States Grain Standards Act. This ensures consistency of test results and services, from elevator to elevator, and State to State. Official inspections of grains, oilseeds, and other agricultural and processed commodities are based on established standards, and on sound, proven, and standardized procedures, techniques, and equipment.
Verifiable Accuracy
The accuracy of officially approved equipment is verified — and re-verified — by FGIS technicians using finely calibrated master instruments and official reference methods. The work of official personnel is reviewed and monitored by an extensive quality assurance program. And, every official State and private agency is backed by the resources and expertise of the FGIS National Grain Center in Kansas City, Missouri.
Information
Official tests provide a wealth of information about important sanitary, physical, food safety, and intrinsic quality characteristics. These tests provide the grain industry with reliable information on foreign material, insect infestation, moisture content, protein and oil contents, aflatoxin, and pesticide residues... to name a few.
Responsiveness
Official U.S. grain standards are continuously reviewed and revised to ensure that they meet the needs of a dynamic, competitive, and quality-conscious worldwide marketplace. New tests and procedures are continually being developed to offer the latest information needed by buyers, sellers, and end users of U.S. grain. These services are available from all of the official system’s agencies.
Professionalism and Integrity
Official personnel pass rigorous tests and undergo extensive and continuous training. System-wide quality control requirements ensure that official personnel consistently provide high-quality, accurate services and information.
Credibility
U.S. and international buyers rely on official inspection certificates to provide accurate, official descriptions of the grade, class, and condition of grain. Official grain inspection certificates are legal documents that are admissible in court.
Appeals and Reviews
The official system provides for the re-inspection and appeal inspection of original inspection results. This allows customers to resolve differences or discrepancies. The FGIS Board of Appeals and Review renders final appeal decisions.