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Agricultural

Marketing

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Federal Grain Inspection 

Service

Field Management 

Division 

1400 Independence Ave. 

SW, Stop 3630

Washington, D.C. 20250

Voice (202) 720-0228

Fax (202) 690-3951

Hotline 1-800-998-3447

Reference #232 May 18, 2010

TO: FGIS POLICY BULLETIN BOARD

FROM: Robert Lijewski, Director 

 Field Management Division 

SUBJECT: Official Commercial Inspection Results reported on a 

U.S. Warehouse Act Certificate

ORIGINATING OFFICE: Policies, Procedures, and Market Analysis Branch

1. PURPOSE

This memorandum provides guidance to Official Agencies (OA) 

providing official inspection results to grain companies under GIPSA

Directive 9180.55, “Official Commercial Inspection Services,” when 

those results are shown on a U.S. Warehouse Act (USWA) certificate. 

2. BACKGROUND

It has come to our attention that some OA’s provide official commercial 

results either through input to the grain company’s electronic format, 

or transferred to a USWA certificate issued by a grain company. While 

providing official commercial results in this manner is permissible, 

GIPSA has determined that showing the name of the OA or the name 

of official personnel employed by the OA on the USWA certificate 

conflicts with sections 800.186(c)(2) and 800.196(g)(6)(ii) of the 

regulations under the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA).

GIPSA has worked with the Farm Service Agency’s Warehouse 

Program to resolve this problem in a way that serves the best interests 

of each program. To this end, the Deputy Administrator for FSA’s 

Commodity Operations issued a memorandum on April 9, 2010, to the 

Director for the Kansas City Commodity Office modifying FSA’s current 

policy in several important ways:

• It is not necessary to issue service licenses under the USWA to 

FGIS authorized official agency personnel who are performing 

official duties at USWA licensed warehouses.
Page 2

• The insertion of the name of the OA or the name of official 

personnel on the USWA certificate is viewed as an unapproved 

addition to the USWA certificate.

• In the place of the name of the OA or the name of official personnel 

on the USWA certificate, the warehouse operators are instructed 

to insert the language, “Inspection performed by an official service 

provider. Records on File.”

3. POLICY

OA’s providing official commercial results to a warehouse operator 

shall not allow their name or the name of official personnel employed 

by the agency to appear on a USWA certificate. Nonetheless, OA’s 

may continue to provide official commercial results to a warehouse 

operator for the purpose of recording those results on a USWA 

certificate.

FSA is notifying federally licensed grain warehouse operators that 

personnel licensed under the USGSA to officially inspect/weigh grain 

do not require a USWA licenses to perform services under the USWA, 

and it is no longer necessary or approved to show the name of the 

OA or the name of OA personnel on the USWA certificates. The new 

statement on the USWA certificate will be:

“Inspection performed by an official service provider. Records on file.”

Since FSA no longer requires OA personnel to hold a USWA service 

license, OA personnel are to turn in their USWA service license to the 

warehouse operators who should forward the licenses to the FSA, 

Warehouse License and Examination Division, Licensing Branch, 

Kansas City Commodity Office.

4. QUESTIONS 

Direct any questions concerning this policy to 

AMS - FGIS Policies Procedures Market Analysis Branch.