United States Department of Agriculture

Agricultural Marketing Service

Federal Grain Inspection Service

Program Notice FGIS-PN-10-03 October 19, 2009

Distribution: FGIS, OSP, Industry Originating Office: FMD PPMAB

Cover

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employer.

ADDITIONAL PARAMETERS FOR AUTOMATED MONITORING AND SUPERVISION OF 

OFFICIAL WEIGHING

Contents

ADDITIONAL PARAMETERS FOR AUTOMATED MONITORING AND SUPERVISION OF 

OFFICIAL WEIGHING ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������1

1. PURPOSE����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

2. BACKGROUND��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

3. POLICY ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

4. ALARM AND EVENT REQUIREMENTS������������������������������������������������������������������������������

5. INBOUND WEIGHT CERTIFICATES�����������������������������������������������������������������������������������

6. FILING INSTRUCTIONS������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

7. QUESTIONS ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������

Attachment 1 ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������7

Attachment 2 ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������9
FGIS Notice PN-10-03 October 19, 2009

Page 2

1. PURPOSE

This notice announces that the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Federal Grain 

Inspection Service (FGIS) specifies requirements for automated official weight 

monitoring systems in addition to the requirements noted in FGIS Directive 9160.3, 

Parameters for Automated Monitoring and Supervision of Official Weighing, dated 

September 4, 2006.

2. BACKGROUND

FGIS Directive 9160.3 establishes a list of parameters for developing an automated 

official grain weighing and handling system, also called an Automated Weighing 

System (AWS), which will produce the necessary documentation and incorporate the 

necessary safeguards such that it can be operated without 100 percent official physical 

supervision. Features which make these systems more effective, more reliable, or 

easier to operate are added to the list of requirements as advances in technology make 

them practical. It is the policy of the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Federal 

Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) to encourage the grain industry to automate weighing, 

sampling, and material handling systems to assist in improving the efficiency and 

effectiveness of official service.

In 2009 FGIS implemented the Inspection Data Warehouse (IDW), which stores 

and distributes grade and weight certificates in electronic form, plus Certificate 

and Distributed Certificate software (CRT and DCRT), and Inspection, Testing, and 

Weighing software (ITW) to generate the certificates. Since inbound barge and rail 

weight certificates carry no inspection data, an AWS can generate these certificates 

automatically. The previous way of doing this has been to print the certificates on preprinted forms using impact printers. This method will no longer be allowed because the 

paper certificates generated must be entered into IDW manually. They cannot simply 

be scanned. Instead, an AWS will be required to transmit the data directly to an FGIS 

computer running DCRT

3. POLICY 

The features specified in this program notice are required in any AWS before it is given 

initial approval for official use, or before it is re-approved for official use following major 

modifications, major upgrades, or repairs which involve extensive reprogramming or 

incorporation of new data processing equipment.

Existing approved AWSs will be required to have these features by certain dates which 

are specific to each feature. Failure to provide a required feature by the specified date 

will result in suspension of the system’s approval to provide official weights without a 

weigher being present.
FGIS Notice PN-10-03 October 19, 2009

Page 3

4. ALARM AND EVENT REQUIREMENTS

a. Silencing Audible Alarm

Official personnel must be able to silence an audible alarm without clearing the 

visual alarm indication. Silencing an alarm that requires investigation before the 

error condition is cleared avoids errors due to personnel hastily clearing the alarm 

to stop the noise, or continuing to work while subjected to constant noise.

The ability to silence audible alarms will be required by August 30, 2010.

b. Descriptive Voice Announcements for Alarms and Permissive Request

Alarms and permissive requests must incorporate a voice announcement that 

gives general information about the kind of alarm or request. The accompanying 

visual indication can fill in the specifics that the voice leaves out. For example, 

a voice alarm could say, “Gate opened without permission,” and the visual 

indication could show the specific gate and the scale affected. Another example 

is a permissive request in which the voice says, “OK to Weigh request,” and the 

visual indication identifies the scale and shipping bin. Voice alarms and requests 

improve the accuracy and efficiency of the system by letting official personnel 

know the action required even before reading the visual indication. In contrast, 

generic beeps can allow personnel to confuse an alarm that needs immediate 

attention with a “nuisance” alarm that has been occurring frequently and has low 

importance

As voice alarms are expected to involve more extensive changes to automated 

weighing software, and possibly changes to the hardware as well, more time is 

being allowed for their implementation. Voice alarms will be required by September 

3, 2012.

c. Replacement of Event Log Printer

In order to reduce the amount of equipment and paper and reduce the noise level 

in inspection labs, printers which print out event logs continuously will no longer be 

allowed. In place of the printer, an AWS must make an Alarm and Events screen 

available which can display at least the most recent 24 hours of alarms and events. 

There must also be a simple way to print a hard copy of the data in this screen or 

to copy it to a removable electronic storage device. Event logs will continue to be 

monitored continuously by an FGIS computer, and copied to a server on the AMS 

network every night.

This feature will be required in all AWSs by September 3, 2012.
FGIS Notice PN-10-03 October 19, 2009

Page 4

5. INBOUND WEIGHT CERTIFICATES

a. Por

Weight certificate data must be transmitted to the FGIS computer over an RS-232 

serial port. Computer security regulations would interfere with the use of any other 

type of hardware port. Default port settings are 38400 baud, 8 data bits, 1 start bit, 

1 stop bit, and no parity, but these can be changed if necessary. Either software 

(XON) or hardware (DTR) flow control can be used.

b. Basic Flow Contro

If hardware flow control is enabled, the FGIS computer (the receiver) asserts 

the “Data Terminal Ready” (DTR) control line (+5V) when it is ready to receive 

data, and drops the DTR line (0V) when it is not ready. If software flow control is 

enabled, the FGIS computer sends one XON character (ctrl-Q or ASCII 17) every 

100 milliseconds as long as it can receive data.

The AWS may respond to either hardware flow control, i.e., transmitting data only 

while DTR is asserted, or software flow control, i.e., transmitting only when an 

XON has been received within 100 milliseconds, or both. If possible, the AWS 

should use software flow control, as is may not be possible for the FGIS computer 

to lower the DTR line if the receiver program is blocked. If the AWS cannot receive 

characters from the FGIS computer over its serial port, it must use hardware flow 

control

If DTR is low continuously for more than 10 seconds, or no XON is sent for more 

than 10 seconds, either an error condition exists or the receiver program is not 

running

c. Data Transfer Initiation and Completio

The AWS must hold its certificate data until the FGIS computer signals that it is 

ready to receive data by asserting the DTR control line (hardware flow control) or 

transmitting an XON (software flow control). Normally it will have to wait no longer 

than 10 seconds. When certificate data are available, the AWS must transmit the 

entire certificate without interruptions, because the FGIS computer will time out 

and assume an error condition exists if it does not receive any characters for 5 

seconds

The AWS must indicate the end of a certificate by sending either a Form Feed 

(FF, ASCII 12) or an End of Transmission (EOT, ASCII 4) character. The receiver 

will reply with an Acknowledge (ACK, ASCII 6) character to indicate the file was 

received successfully, and if hardware flow control is enabled, it will drop DTR. The 

AWS must then remove the certificate data from its transmit queue and prepare to 

transmit the next certificate, if any.
FGIS Notice PN-10-03 October 19, 2009

Page 5

d. Error Handlin

An error condition is indicated if either computer transmits a Negative Acknowledge 

character (NACK, ASCII 21), or if the AWS stops transmitting data for 5 seconds, 

or if the FGIS computer holds DTR low and does not send an XON character for 

10 seconds.

If the FGIS computer detects an error condition, it will stop receiving data, close its 

certificate file, and, if hardware flow control is enabled, will drop DTR. If software 

flow control is enabled, it will transmit a NACK character to notify the AWS of the 

error, unless the AWS had indicated the error itself by transmitting a NACK.

If the AWS detects an error, it must stop transmitting data and prepare to retransmit the certificate from the beginning. The AWS may optionally transmit a 

NACK to notify the FGIS computer of an error condition, but it should not transmit a 

NACK in response to receiving a NACK

e. Comma-Separated Variable (CSV) Data Forma

NOTE: FGIS has a programming project to parse data formatted for a preprinted 

weight certificate form in an impact printer and reformat it for the DCRT program. 

If this project is successful, existing AWSs which currently print weight certificates 

on preprinted forms will not have to reformat their data for DCRT. In addition, the 

hardware flow control option of the FGIS data receiving program is similar to the 

flow control used by a serial printer. However, this does not guarantee that it will be 

possible to simply move the printer cable to a serial port on the FGIS computer

FGIS computers can currently accept data as ASCII text in Comma-Separated 

Variable (CSV) format. In this format, data fields are separated by commas, and 

the meaning of a field is determined by its position in the data file. The first field is 

always the record type (all weight certificates are type “S”), the second field is the 

service point code of the location where the certificate is generated, and so on.

Attachment 1 of this program notice lists the fields of an inbound weight certificate, 

their permissible contents, and their meanings. A field may contain alphabetic or 

numeric characters, spaces, and any punctuation characters except commas, 

double quotes, or single quotes. A field may optionally be enclosed in double 

quotes, in which case it may also contain commas and single quotes. A field may 

never contain a carriage return (ASCII 13) or line feed (ASCII 10), because DCRT 

interprets these characters as record separators to allow multiple records to be 

imported as a single file.

Attachment 2 of this program notice shows the correspondence between the fields 

of a preprinted official weight certificate and the fields of a CSV file.

FGIS Directive 9290.16, Inspection Data Warehouse (IDW) for Grain Program 

Services, Attachment 1, also lists the fields of a CSV file, their permissible 

contents, and their meanings. However, a weight certificate is much simpler than 

the general certificate specified in FGIS Directive 9290.16. Many fields are left 

blank in a weight certificate, and the fields beyond “Inspection Weighing Service” 

are not needed and should be omitted
FGIS Notice PN-10-03 October 19, 2009

Page 6

f. Deadlines

AWSs will be required to send inbound weight certificates to a FGIS computer 

running DCRT by August 30, 2010, regardless of whether the software to parse 

data formatted for a preprinted certificate is available.

The requirement for the AWS to re-send a certificate from the beginning if it 

detects an error condition is expected to involve more extensive programming 

modifications, and such error conditions are expected to be uncommon, so 

weighing systems will not be required to implement this until September 3, 2012.

6. FILING INSTRUCTIONS

Retain a copy of this program notice with FGIS Directive 9160.3 until this information is 

incorporated into the directive

7. QUESTIONS

Direct any questions regarding this notice to AMS - FGIS Policies Procedures and 

Market Analysis Branch

Attachments
FGIS Notice PN-10-03 October 19, 2009

Page 7

Attachment 1

Field 

Number Field Name Length Permissible Value(s) Definitions Key

1 Record Type 1 S

Code that identifies a 

Summary Weighing 

Certificate

S = Summary 

Inspection and/

or Weighing

2 Certification 

Location 7 6-digit service point number

FGIS-assigned number 

for the location where the 

certificate is issued

3 Analysis Weighing 

Location 7 6-digit service point number

FGIS-assigned number 

for the location where 

the weighing service is 

performed

4,5 Lot Number, File 

Sample ID Empty

6 Inspection Type 4 O, S, N Level of Inspection

O=Original 

S=Supervision 

(Class Y) 

N=New Original

7 Commodity / Carrier 

Location 50

Name of facility where the 

commodity is located at the 

time of service

8 City 30 City where the commodity is 

located at the time of service

9 State 4

Standard 

2-character 

abbreviation

State where the commodity 

is located at the time of 

service

10 Ordered By 50 Name of the customer 

requesting service

11 Certificate Number Empty Assigned by CRT software

12 Certificate Date Empty Assigned by CRT software

13 Service Type 4 X,Y Class X or Class Y Weighing

14-22 Repeats of Service 

Type Empty

23 Purpose Code 4 O Purpose of record (Original,

Void, Duplicate, Corrected) O=Original

24-26 Empty I

27 Movement 4 B, R In, Out, Local, Export I=Inbound

28 Carrier Type 4 Type of carrier used to 

transport the commodity

B=Barge

R=Rail

29 Number of Carriers 4 Number of carriers 

comprising the lot

30 Identification 100 Identification of the carrier

31-35 Empty
FGIS Notice PN-10-03 October 19, 2009

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Field 

Number Field Name Length Permissible Value(s) Definitions Key

36 Commodity Class 10

Lowest level of agricultural

commodity class or subclass 

as defined in the Agricultural 

Product Standards

37-43 Empty

44 Official Weight 9 Weight of the lot weighed

45 Unit of Measure 4 LB or MT LB=Pounds

MT=Metric Tons

46 Certificate Signature 

Inspector Number 5

FGIS-assigned number for 

the individual whose name 

appears on the certificate

47 Date of Service 8 YYYYMMDD Date inspection or weighing 

is completed

48 Time of Service 4 HHMM Time inspection or weighing 

is completed

49 Remarks 8000

Information from the 

remarks section of the 

certificate that is not 

reported in another field

50 Agency Field Office 

Code 10

Standard 2-4 

character 

abbreviation

Official agency or field office 

that performs the inspection 

or weighing service

51-55 Empty

56 Customer Number 18

FGIS-assigned number for 

the customer. Required to 

let a customer access data 

from IDW

57 FGIS Fee 1 Y,N

Field to indicate if record is 

to be used for computing 

supervision or administrative 

tonnage fees

Y=Yes

N=No

58 Date Started 8 YYYYMMDD Date weighing begins

59 Time Started 4 HHMM Time weighing begins

60 Type Shipment 4 BU, SA Bulk or Sack BU=Bulk, 

SA=Sack

61 Inspection Weighing 

Service 4 W

Classification of service as

inspection only, weighing 

only, or inspection & 

weighing

W=Weighing 

only
FGIS Notice PN-10-03 October 19, 2009

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Attachment 2