2022 

Annual Report 

to Congress

Federal Grain

Inspectio

Servic
Each year, pursuant to section 17B (7 U.S.C. § 87f-2), the USDA, 

Agricultural Marketing Service, Federal Grain Inspection Service 

(FGIS) respectfully submits an annual report to the U.S. Congress. 

Activities described in this report cover Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 (October 

1, 2021, through September 30, 2022). 

Any mention of firm names or trade products does not imply that 

they are endorsed or recommended directly or indirectly by the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture (USDA).

FY 2022 inspection and weighing program data and financial 

information is available at:

www.ams.usda.gov/reports/fgis-annual-reports

The 508 Compliant version of this report is available on our website at: 

www.ams.usda.gov/reports/fgis-annual-reports

About This Report Table of Contents

Section I Overview

The Federal Grain Inspection Service������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 4

Program Mission��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 4

Key Activities �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5

Employees and Locations ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 6

Resilience of the Grain Export System (Including Inspection and Weighing) After Hurricane Ida ����������� 7

Grain Inspection Advisory Committee ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 8

Section II Quality Assurance and Compliance Division

Overview��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 9

USGSA Designation Audits, Trends, and the New Hybrid Audit Process���������������������������������������������� 12

Mapping Project�������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 14

Export Registration Management, Waivers, and Improvement Project�������������������������������������������������� 15

Section III Standards Development

U.S. Standards for Grain ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 

Section IV The Technology and Science Division

Board of Appeals and Review ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 17

Soybeans of Other Colors Interpretations ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 18

Expanding Scope of Grain Testing Services������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 19

Pesticide Residue Testing ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 19

Mycotoxin Test Kit Evaluation ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 19

Standardizing Commercial Grain Inspection Equipment������������������������������������������������������������������������ 20

Moisture Meter Approval ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 20

Light Emitting Diode ������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 21

Section V Promoting U.S. Grain to International Customers

Educating New USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service Personnel������������������������������������������������������������� 22

Complaints From U.S. Grain Importers �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 
FGIS’s primary mission is twofold: (1) promote the marketing of high-quality 

grain to domestic and international buyers and (2) maintain objective standards 

to certify as accurately as practicable. These standards define uniform and 

descriptive terms to facilitate the grain trade, help determine grain storability, 

offer users the best possible information to determine end-product yield and 

quality, provide market incentive frameworks, reflect the economic value-based 

characteristics to end-users, and accommodate scientific advances in testing.

Program Mission

The USDA, Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), FGIS facilitates the 

marketing of grains, oilseeds, and related product by establishing quality 

standards; providing impartial inspection and weighing services through a 

network of Federal, State, and private entities; and monitoring/enforcing 

compliance with the USGSA, as amended. FGIS administers uniform national 

grain inspection and weighing programs established by the USGSA. Services 

under the USGSA are performed on a fee basis for both export and domestic 

grain shipments. The USGSA requires that export grain be inspected and 

weighed, prohibits deceptive practices with respect to the inspection and 

weighing of grain, and provides penalties for violations. The USGSA also 

requires that all corn exported from the United States be tested for aflatoxin, prior 

to shipment, unless the contract stipulates that the testing is not required.

The Federal Grain Inspection Service

Section

Overvie

Key Activities

In administering and enforcing the USGSA, FGIS:

• Establishes and maintains official U.S. grain standards for barley, canola, corn, flaxseed, 

oats, rye, sorghum, soybeans, sunflower seed, triticale, wheat, and mixed grain. 

• Promotes the uniform application of official U.S. grain standards by official inspection 

personnel. 

• Establishes methods and procedures and approves equipment for the official inspection 

and weighing of grain. 

• Provides official inspection and weighing services at certain U.S. export port locations 

as well as official inspection of U.S. grain at certain export port locations along the St. 

Lawrence Seaway in eastern Canada. 

• Delegates qualified State agencies to inspect and weigh grain at certain U.S. export port 

locations. 

• Designates and licenses qualified State and private agencies to inspect and weigh grain, 

as well as perform other official services, at interior locations. 

• Provides Federal oversight of the official inspection and weighing of grain by delegated 

States and designated agencies. 

• Monitors the quality and weight of U.S. grain as received at destination ports and 

investigates complaints or discrepancies reported by international buyers. 

• Investigates, in cooperation with the USDA’s Office of the Inspector General, alleged 

violations of the USGSA and initiates appropriate corrective action. 

• Helps U.S. trading partners develop and improve their grain inspection and weighing 

programs through education and outreach to international buyers. 

4 | FY 2022 FGIS Annual Report to Congres
Resilience of the Grain Export System (Including 

Inspection and Weighing) After Hurricane Ida

On August 29, 2021, Hurricane Ida struck southern 

Louisiana as a major category 4 hurricane with 

maximum sustained winds of 150 miles per hour. 

Ida was the second-strongest hurricane to ever make 

landfall in Louisiana, trailing only Hurricane Katrina 

in 2005. While Katrina was devastating to the city of 

New Orleans and areas east of the city, Hurricane Ida 

hit the city of New Orleans and neighboring areas to 

its west, where most grain export facilities and FGIS 

employees are located; the damage to infrastructure 

was devastating. Approximately 100 (out of 200) 

FGIS employees lost homes or sustained major 

damage. In addition, most export grain elevators 

were impacted because of wind damage, power 

outages, flooding, high river levels, or unnavigable 

sections of the Mississippi River. 

All of this occurred during a period of great demand, 

as the United States was experiencing a record year 

for all-time for grain exports (150 million metric tons 

exported). It was also a period of great uncertainty, 

as the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic was still 

affecting communities around the country. On an 

annual basis, approximately 50 percent of U.S. 

grain exports are loaded and shipped on vessels 

departing from southern Louisiana, with a value of 

over $25 billion. However, because of Hurricane 

Ida’s impacts, there was concern that farmers would 

not be able to bring their grain to market, as the 

river system was getting backed up with barges that 

needed to be unloaded and sent back upriver to be 

loaded with more grain. It was critical that exports 

(and inspection and weighing) resumed as quickly as 

possible. 

Some elevators came online relatively quickly in 

the weeks after the storm; however, many remained 

down due to a lack of power. The river barge system, 

which had been offline for nearly 2 weeks, had a 

major backlog without enough capacity to export. To 

increase export capacity, exporters utilized generatorpowered floating grain rig operations to move grain 

from barges to vessels; although, these floating rig 

operations did not have the capacity to appropriately 

sample or weigh the grain. Due to the impact that 

Hurricane Ida had on the entire New Orleans area 

and the ability to export grain, the Under Secretary 

for Marketing and Regulatory Programs declared 

an emergency for the area, with respect to the 

requirements in the USGSA, and implemented 

optional waiver procedures whereby vessels could 

load grain without inspection or weighing, provided 

certain criteria were met. These waiver procedures 

were in place from September 16 to October 30, 

2021. The waivers required that the buyer and 

seller agree that FGIS weights and grades were not 

needed and required official fumigation to receive a 

phytosanitary certificate. 

During this emergency period, 45 total lots of freight 

were approved for shipping under the waiver process, 

which included 34 grain lots (corn, wheat, soybeans) 

and 11 commodity lots (soybean meal, DDGS, 

CGM), loaded over 21 vessels. The shipments totaled 

approximately 750,000 metric tons (approx. 650,000 

grains and 100,000 commodity). These waivers 

allowed grain to keep moving, as well as ease the 

backlog of shipments upriver and at the first point of 

sale. 

It is also important to note that, in the aftermath 

of the storm and as soon as elevators came back 

online, FGIS employees answered the call to provide 

mandatory inspection and weighing service, whether 

they were living in a hotel, a family member’s home, 

a garage, or without power. No official inspection or 

weighing services were denied; service continued. 

These employees demonstrated great resilience in the 

midst of the storm; and some of them, still, have not 

fully recovered all that was lost because of Hurricane 

Ida’s impact. Their commitment and dedication to the 

mission of FGIS are commended. 

FGIS is headquartered in 

Washington, DC, with the bulk of 

employees located at the National 

Grain Center in Kansas City, MO.

There are six field offices: • Domestic Inspection 

Operations Office (DIOO), 

Kansas City, MO

• League City, TX • New Orleans, LA • Portland, OR • Stuttgart, AR • Toledo, OH

379

Permanent Employees

25

Intermittent Employees

64

Temporary Employees

FGIS is composed of:

Employees and Locations

6 | FY 2022 FGIS Annu

l Repot to Coness | 
The Grain Inspection Advisory Committee consists of 15 members appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture 

who represents various segments of the grain industry. Membership includes grain producers, processors, 

merchandisers, handlers, exporters, consumers, grain inspection agencies, and scientists. The Committee’s 

recommendations assist AMS in the facilitation of services and responsibilities that are established under the 

USGSA. The Committee holds two meetings annually.

On December 15-16, 2021, the Committee held a virtual meeting where they discussed three major topics: 

(1) the FGIS proposed Technology Review Process, (2) average inspection flexibilities, and (3) updating the 

Memorandum of Understanding between FGIS and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In response to a 

recommendation by the Committee, the Technology Review Process was created to ensure transparency on how 

FGIS approaches new equipment and technology used for grain inspection. The Committee sought to discuss 

flexibilities in the inspection process to explore additional mechanisms to be in place to report and certify all 

parts of a customer’s load order. The final discussion topic was discussing draft changes to the Memorandum of 

Understanding between FGIS and the Food and Drug Administration. The Subcommittee presented their draft 

changes that propose pre-approved grain remediation actions for FGIS and FDA to approve.

The Committee was not able to take action on any of the agenda items during the meeting because a quorum 

was not present. As such, the discussions on each topic were helpful in preparing for their summer meeting. 

Detailed meeting minutes and additional documents can be found on the AMS public website 

(https://www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/giac-dec-2021-meeting).

On June 22-23, 2022, the 

Committee held a hybrid meeting 

at the National Grain Center 

in Kansas City, Missouri. The 

Committee discussed grading 

Soybeans of Other Colors (SBOC), 

accessing real-time shuttle train 

data, Committee alternates, the 

Memorandum of Understanding 

between FGIS and the Food and 

Drug Administration, and the 

FGIS Technology Review Process. 

The Committee took up the topic 

of SBOC to discuss possible 

recommendations on how FGIS 

should respond to the increased 

presence of SBOC. Shuttle trains 

continue to be an issue for the 

grain industry and the Committee wanted to discuss the continued engagement of Surface Transportation Board 

by the USDA. Due to the lack of quorum for the Fall Committee Meeting, Committee members put forward 

options on preventing future meeting quorum issues. The Committee wrapped up the discussions on the FGIS 

and FDA memorandum of understanding and the FGIS Technology Review Process. The Committee passed five 

recommendations on the discussed topics. Detailed meeting minutes and additional documents can be found 

on the AMS public website (https://www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/giac-june-2022-meeting). Past Committee 

meeting minutes, presentations, agendas, and recommendations can all be found on the AMS public website 

(www.ams.usda.gov/about-ams/facas-advisory-councils/giac).

Grain Inspection Advisory Committee

Overview To help facilitate the integrity and effectiveness of the official inspection and weighing 

system, FGIS conducts a myriad of oversight and monitoring functions through its Quality 

Assurance and Compliance Division. The Division ensures that requirements defined within 

the USGSA are met by FGIS personnel and Official Agencies (OA). OAs are State and 

private agencies designated by FGIS to provide official inspection and weighing services 

in assigned geographic areas. They represent a unique network of approximately 2,300 

personnel across the country. Of the 42 OAs that FGIS oversees:

• Thirty-two (32) are private agencies and six are State agencies designated to provide 

official inspection and/or sampling and weighing services in domestic markets;

• Three (3) are State agencies delegated to provide mandatory official export inspection 

and weighing services, as well as designated to provide official domestic inspection and 

weighing services within the State; and

 

• One (1) is a State agency delegated to provide mandatory official export inspection and 

weighing services within the State. 

Section

Quality Assurance an

Compliance Divisi

8 | FY 2022 FGIS Annual Report to Congres
DESIGNATED PRIVATE AGENCIES

LA Louisiana

MD Maryland

MO Missouri

MT Montana

NC North Carolina

UT Utah

AL Alabama 

VA Virginia 

WA Washington

DELEGATED AND DESIGNATED STATE AGENCIES DESIGNATED STATE AGENCIES

Official Agency Geographic Areas and FGIS Field Office Map

AB Aberdeen

AM Amarillo

JB Barton

CI Cairo

CG California Agri

CD Champaign

DB Detroit

EI Eastern Iowa

EN Enid

FS Farwell Southwest

FE Fremont

HA Hastings

ID Idaho Grain

JA Grain Inspection, Inc. (Jamestown)

KA Kankakee

KS Kansas

KE Keokuk

LN Lincoln

MH Michigan

CR Mid-Iowa

MM Midsouth

MP Minot

NR North Dakota

NE Northeast Indiana

NP Northern Plains

EV Ohio Valley

OM Omaha

PL Plainview

SH Schaal

SI Sioux City

SG State Grain

TS Tri-State

10 | FY 2022 FGIS Annual Report to Congress
USGSA Designation Audits, Trends, and 

the New Hybrid Audit Process

To minimize risks and improve customer service, 

FGIS maintains a review cycle during which OAs are 

audited for compliance with USGSA criteria. OAs 

are usually designated to provide services, on behalf 

of FGIS, for a period of up to 5 years. Throughout 

an OA’s designation, FGIS maintains close contact 

to track performance and facilitate customer service. 

Near the end of the designation cycle, FGIS assigns 

compliance officers, all certified to audit under 

the ISO 9001 standards for Quality Management 

Systems, to evaluate OA performance according 

to USGSA criteria that focuses on facilities and 

equipment, system integrity, training requirements 

and personnel standards, conducting training and 

providing supervision, official fees and billing, use 

of official fees (only State OAs), conflicts of interest, 

recordkeeping, job qualifications (State OAs only), 

and compliance with other official requirements. The 

compliance officers conduct interviews with the OAs 

and some of their customers, review inspection and 

weighing documents/records, and assess performance. 

At the end of the audit, FGIS issues a detailed report 

to the OAs that conveys their performance in each 

of the designation criterion and provides insights to 

strengths, as well as areas for improvement. 

The following figure is an example Performance Table 

that summarizes an OAs performance by designation 

criteria:

Figure 1 - Sample Designation Audit Performance Table

Once an OA receives the detailed audit report, 

it is reviewed for areas of compliance and noncompliance. Where any non-compliances have been 

identified, the OA must establish a plan of action to 

correct such non-compliances and provide that plan 

to FGIS for review and approval. FGIS uses that plan 

to conduct follow-up reviews with the OA to ensure 

implementation. 

Audit Trends and Highlights. During the year, FGIS conducted 19 of designation, delegation, and 

Agricultural Marketing Act audits. As part of the process, FGIS increased transparency and improved 

communication with both Official Service Providers (OSPs) and industry by sharing trends and areas for 

improvement throughout the fiscal year. 

A summary of the trends is shown below:

Figure 2 - Overview of Audit Trends for Fiscal Year 22

12 | FY 2022 FGIS Annual Report to Congress
The New Hybrid Audit Process. In 2020, due to the 

Covid-19 pandemic, FGIS designed a virtual audit 

process. This process enabled FGIS to adapt quickly, 

ensuring continued mission success and strong 

industry support. It also served as a springboard 

for FGIS to design a new hybrid audit process, 

enabling FGIS to implement a partially virtual and 

partially onsite designation audit, beginning in fiscal 

year 2023. This collaborative program has been 

consistently lauded by the OAs and has provided a 

renewed focus on aspects of compliance and areas 

for improvement. The new hybrid program will 

utilize the strengths of the historic onsite audits 

and combine them with the strengths of the virtual 

program to continue to improve responsiveness, 

insight, and flexibility.

Mapping Project

During the year, FGIS completed a review of 

the current OAs’ geographic areas and Service 

Point locations. FGIS discovered that the historic 

descriptions for OAs’ geographic boundaries 

could be updated and clarified utilizing current 

technologies. Outdated descriptions could cause 

confusion for FGIS, OAs, and customers. To address 

this, FGIS issued proposed updates to the geographic 

area description for the OAs to compare with their 

agency’s current historic description. FGIS shared 

the historic and updated versions with the OAs for 

feedback and concurrence. Once FGIS finishes 

collaborating with the OAs, FGIS will issue a Federal 

Register notice to communicate the changes with 

the public. Additionally, FGIS intends to publish a 

map of USGSA designation boundaries on the AMS 

website: 

https://agtransport.usda.gov/stories/s/a384-djzj

Export Registration Management, Waivers, 

and Improvement Project

Any business that engages is international grain 

commerce and plans to export grain more than 

15,000 metric tons is required to register with 

FGIS each calendar year. In 2022, FGIS issued 130 

certificates for export registration. This is more 

than a 20-percent increase over 2021, where 104 

certificates for export registration were issued. In 

addition, exporters that meet certain criteria, as 

defined within 7 CFR 800.18, can waive official 

services for exported grain. In 2022, FGIS issued 

44 waivers for shipment that did not exceed 15,000 

metric tons or were for High-Quality Specialty 

Grains. This is a large increase from 2021, when we 

issued only 14 waivers. Registered exporters can be 

found at the AMS public website. 

www.ams.usda.gov/services/fgis/ddr-exportregistration-instructions

Since registration is required each calendar year, 

FGIS established a registration window from October 

to December to help ensure applicants will be on the 

initial 2023 registration list in January. After that, 

registrations are processed throughout the calendar 

year, on a rolling basis. On its website, FGIS 

provides lists of entities that registered, or are under 

waiver, to buy, handle, weigh, or transport grain for 

sale in foreign commerce. This list is shared with 

foreign governments, upon request, to ensure U.S. 

grain can easily move into international markets. As 

part of the improvement project, FGIS published a 

web page that would show export registrants in real 

time.

14 | FY 2022 FGIS Annual Report to Congress
Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 196 / Wednesday, October 12, 2022 / Notices 61561 

Grade, ‘‘High Moisture.’’ Contrasting 

Chickpeas over 2.0 percent will no 

longer be considered U.S. Substandard 

Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans, but instead 

would grade no higher than U.S. No. 3 

Chickpea/Garbanzo Beans. AMS would 

revise the Bean Inspection Handbook to 

reflect these changes. 

AMS is accepting comments on this 

proposed action for 60 days. All 

comments received within the comment 

period will be made part of the public 

record maintained by AMS, will be 

available to the public for review, and 

will be considered by AMS before a 

final action is taken on this proposal. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 1621–1627. 

Melissa Bailey, 

Associate Administrator, Agricultural 

Marketing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–22109 Filed 10–11–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

[Doc. No. AMS–FGIS–21–0017] 

United States Standards for Wheat 

AGENCY: Agricultural Marketing Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The United States Department 

of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural 

Marketing Service (AMS) is making no 

changes regarding the U.S. Standards for 

Wheat under the U.S. Grain Standards 

Act, as amended (USGSA). 

DATES: Applicable: October 12, 2022. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Barry Gomoll, USDA AMS; Telephone: 

(202) 720–8286; Email: Barry.L.Gomoll@

usdagov

market and should only be made if they 

significantly improve the marketing of 

U.S. wheat. Three of these commenters 

further stated a desire for further 

research into the marketing of Hard 

White Wheat (HDWH), either by 

differentiating between winter and 

spring varieties, merging HDWH with 

the class Hard Red Winter Wheat (HRW) 

to create a Hard Winter Wheat class, or 

increasing the allowable amount of 

HDWH in HRW. 

One commenter, representing a wheat 

growing group, suggested changing the 

standards, either by merging HDWH and 

HRW to create a Hard Winter Wheat 

class or by increasing the allowable 

Wheat of Other Classes in HRW to 25%. 

The commenter mentioned that such a 

standards change could help remove 

barriers to growers hoping to market 

HDWH for export markets. 

Based on the balance of comments 

received in response to the request, 

AMS has decided to make no changes 

to the wheat standards at this time. 

However, AMS will collaborate with the 

wheat industry to consider any data and 

research from interested stakeholders 

regarding the possibilities, impacts, and 

potential market acceptance of either 

merging HDWH and HRW to create a 

Hard Winter Wheat class, or increasing 

the allowable Wheat of Other Classes in 

HRW to 25%. 

Final Action 

Based on the comments received, 

AMS–FGIS is making no changes to the 

U.S Standards for Wheat at this time. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 71–87k. 

Melissa Bailey, 

Associate Administrator, Agricultural 

Marketing Service. 

[FR Doc. 2022–22113 Filed 10–11–22; 8:45 am] 

and Nutrition Service with new 

information about food security and 

individual and family circumstances 

and environmental factors related to 

poverty in six persistently poor 

counties. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

received on or before December 12, 

2022. 

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to 

Michael Burke, Senior Social Science 

Research Analyst, Food and Nutrition 

Service, Braddock Metro Center II, 1320 

Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314. 

Comments may also be submitted via 

email to michael.burke@usda.gov. 

Comments will also be accepted through 

the Federal eRulemaking Portal. Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov and follow 

the online instructions for submitting 

comments electronically. 

All written comments will be open for 

public inspection at the office of the 

Food and Nutrition Service during 

regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 

p.m.), Monday through Friday at 

Braddock Metro Center II, 1320 

Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314. 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for Office of Management and Budget 

approval. All comments will be a matter 

of public record. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

copies of this information collected 

should be directed to Michael Burke by 

email at michael.burke@usda.gov or by 

phone at (703) 305–4369. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments 

are invited on the following topics: (1) 

whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

ildihthth

FGIS regularly reviews the official standards and 

inspection instructions for grain and commodities 

to ensure such standards remain relevant to the 

marketplace. In FY 2022, FGIS submitted two Final 

Notices into clearance: the U.S. Standards for Canola 

(from a previous Notice for Comment), and the U.S. 

Standards for Wheat.

In FY 2022, FGIS published revised versions of 

five handbooks of instructions. The Near InfraRed 

Transmission Handbook and Moisture Handbook 

were completely revised and published. Revisions of 

the Equipment Handbook and Moisture Handbook 

were published with targeted updates. Complete 

revisions of the Mycotoxin Handbook are in final 

clearance, to be published early in FY 2023. FGIS 

continues work on the following new handbooks: 

Certification and Licensing. Lastly, updates are 

being made to the FGISonline portfolio of online 

business applications that will facilitate publication 

of the revised Equipment Handbook and Weighing 

Handbooks.

U.S. Standards for Gra

Section

Standards Developme

Section

The Technology 

Science Divisi

Board of Appeals and Review

The Board of Appeals and Review (BAR) is a team of six senior-level grain inspectors, led by a Chairman 

and an Assistant Chairman. The BAR is the final adjudication body for all disputes involving subjective grain 

quality issues raised by any interested party in a grain transaction. The BAR performs appeal inspections after 

the issue has been reviewed and addressed by FGIS field offices. 

In 2022, the Board of Appeals and Review held in-person grain grading seminars for Quality Assurance 

Specialists (QAS) at the National Grain Center in Kansas City, Missouri. This was the first on-site seminar in 

2 years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The annual QAS seminars provided expert training for grains, pulses, 

and rice. The seminars allow QAS, from across the country, the opportunity to directly engage and train with 

the BAR. This training helps in reducing inspector variation and creates more consistent inspection results 

throughout the official grading system. Over 70 QAS from 26 Official agencies and FGIS attended this year.

16 | FY 2022 FGIS Annual Report to Congress
Soybeans of Other Colors Interpretations 

In response to the increased appearance of SBOC, the BAR worked with QAS throughout the Official System 

to align them on SBOC determinations through hands-on training and sending training materials to QAS and 

inspectors. The BAR also increased the monitoring rate of QAS. This training helped QAS and inspectors 

in identifying the subtle differences that can be difficult to determine for this grading factor and helped in 

harmonizing the results between the BAR, QAS, and inspectors. 

For soybean harvest, FGIS published a web page that provided resources for all inspection personnel to quickly 

reference information that fully explained how to correctly identify SBOC.

https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grain-rice-pulse-inspection-services/sboc

Expanding Scope of Grain Testing Services

In accordance with the International Organization 

for Standardization (ISO) 17025 accreditation for 

its Biotechnology Laboratory, FGIS is increasing 

genetically modified organism (GMO) testing 

capacity in grains, through the addition of testing 

methodologies for detecting Figwort Mosaic Virus/

Nopaline Synthase (FMV/NOS). ISO certification 

establishes credibility and trust with consumers, 

trading partners and other stakeholders. ISO 

certification ensures that the FGIS Biotechnology 

Laboratory meets global standards for adhering 

to quality assurance and good laboratory practice 

standards. The addition of the FMV/NOS methods 

will increase the existing scope from the current 4 

detection methods to a total of 12 methods for the 

detection of various GMO traits in grain.

Pesticide Residue Testing 

Pesticides are widely used in agriculture to protect 

crops against pests, weeds, and diseases. These 

chemicals and their degradation products may 

remain as residues in the agricultural products, which 

becomes a concern for consumer exposure. To ensure 

stringent food safety standards, regulatory bodies 

around the world set limits on the type and amount of 

pesticide residues that can be legally present on foods. 

As a result, pesticide residues are an important factor 

in the trade of grain.

FGIS provides pesticide residue testing to the U.S. 

domestic and export grain industry. In FY 2022, 

FGIS expanded its capability by modifying existing 

methods to include 12 new analytes, based on 

customer requests. In addition, FGIS eliminated the 

need for one analytical method through consolidation 

of methods while still retaining coverage of all the 

residues. The scope of four methods were expanded 

to all three major commodities - corn, soybeans, 

and wheat. These efforts have resulted in improved 

efficiency and cost savings.

Mycotoxin Test Kit Evaluation

Mycotoxins are toxic chemicals produced by certain 

fungal species under favorable environmental 

conditions. Regulators have set maximum allowable 

concentration levels for specific mycotoxins in 

food and feed to ensure the safety of consumers. 

Mycotoxin levels are a critical factor in the trade 

of grain and quantitative mycotoxin testing is an 

integral part of buyer-seller contract specifications. 

FGIS provides official mycotoxin testing services 

throughout the United States for domestic and export 

grains, oilseeds, and processed-grain commodities. 

Official testing services are provided for aflatoxins, 

deoxynivalenol, fumonisins, ochratoxin A, and 

zearalenone. Testing at field locations requires rapid, 

inexpensive, and accurate methods to effectively 

assess U.S. grain quality. An essential part of ensuring 

the quality of official mycotoxin testing is the FGIS 

test kit evaluation program, through which test 

kits are evaluated and certified for conformance 

to specific criteria. Only test kits having FGIS 

certification are approved for official mycotoxin 

testing. In FY 2022, FGIS evaluated 10 test kits. Of 

these, nine test kits met the performance criteria and 

became approved for official testing. 

18 | FY 2022 FGIS Annual Report to Congress
In FY 2022, FGIS continued the cooperative effort 

with the National Conference on Weights and 

Measures (NCWM) and the National Institute for 

Standards and Technology (NIST) to standardize 

commercial inspection equipment within the 

requirements outlined by the NCWM National 

Type Evaluation Program (NTEP). The commercial 

inspection equipment includes grain moisture 

meters and any test weight modules contained 

within the meters. The program is supported through 

an Interagency Agreement that allocates funding 

from FGIS and NIST as well as the participating 

instrument manufacturers. 

FGIS collected and analyzed calibration data for 

seven instrument models that are traceable through 

the official FGIS moisture program, including the 

air oven reference method. The meter calibrations 

certified through the NTEP are used to provide fair 

and consistent assessments across many commercial 

grain transactions throughout the United States. 

The certified calibrations encompass prediction 

algorithms for moisture content in grain samples 

composed of hard red winter wheat, hard red spring 

wheat, hard white wheat, soft red winter wheat, 

soft white wheat, durum wheat, corn, soybeans, 

six-row barley, two-row barley, long grain rough 

rice, medium grain rough rice, oats, sorghum, and 

sunflower seeds (oil-type). The NTEP standardization 

program has ensured that all participating instrument 

models have varied from the USDA air oven method 

(American Association of Cereal Chemists (AACC) 

standard reference method) by no more than 0.31 

percent moisture (on average) over all major grain 

types within the primary market moisture ranges 

over the last 5 years. In FY 2022, FGIS will collect 

grain moisture meter calibration data for eight NTEP 

models and will conduct NTEP testing for new grain 

inspection equipment models upon request.

In FY 2022, FGIS’ NTEP laboratory coordinated 

its issuance of Certificates of Conformance with 

FGIS’ implementation of calibrations for the official 

moisture meter models for use with the major grains. 

This close coordination ensured that State-regulated 

commercial moisture meter users could use the same 

meters and calibrations as those used in official 

inspection.

Standardizing Commercial Grain Inspection Equipment

In FY 2022, the FGIS concluded an evaluation 

of the DICKEY-john GAC2700-UGMA meter 

which verified that the GAC2700-UGMA was 

metrologically and functionally equivalent to the 

currently approved DICKEY-john GAC2500-UGMA 

and the PerkinElmer AM5200A instruments. As 

a result, the GAC2700-UGMA is now certified 

to provide moisture determinations alongside the 

currently approved models within the FGIS official 

inspection system. FGIS along with DICKEY-john 

engaged stakeholders to answer concerns about the 

newly approved GAC2700-UGMA to complete a 

successful rollout to the official testing system.

Moisture Meter Approval Light Emitting Diode

In FY 2022, FGIS concluded a study that evaluated the suitability of currently 

available Light Emitting Diode (LED) lamps for use as inspection lighting. This 

study tested a set of LED lamps in an actual inspection agency setting. Ten official 

grain inspection agencies agreed to participate in this study. The conclusion of 

that study was that there was no statistically significant difference the LED lamp 

used in the study and the currently approved fluorescent lamps. As a result, the 

LED lamps used in this study were approved for official grain inspection. FGIS 

engaged key stakeholders to answer concerns about the newly approved LED 

lamps to complete a successful rollout to the official testing system.

20 | FY 2022 FGIS Annual Report to Congress
The International Affairs Division (IAD) works very 

closely with the USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service 

(FAS) on various international grain trade issues. IAD 

communicates with FAS on a biweekly basis to keep 

each other informed about the latest issues affecting 

the international grain trade. FAS hired many new 

mid-level career professionals during the Covid-19 

pandemic. In an effort to help FAS train their new 

hires and provide them exposure to grain export and 

inspection related matters, as well as other agricultural 

issues, FGIS created a 1-week educational training 

program for the group of employees. The program 

included guided tours to grain export facilities, 

grain inspection offices, a specialty grain processing 

facility, an ethanol plant, dairy and cattle farms, 

and the Extension Service at North Dakota State 

University. The trip started in Fargo, North Dakota 

and concluded in Kansas City with a visit to FGIS’s 

National Grain Center. The employees were very 

appreciative of the orientation. They expressed that 

it helped them better understand the grain industry 

and perceive challenges that exist when responding to 

various grain-related agricultural trade issues. 

Complaints From U.S. Grain Importe

In FY 2022, FGIS received five quality complaints and one weight complaint from importers on grains 

inspected under the USGSA. 

SUMMARY OF COMPLAINTS REPORTED BY IMPORTERS ON

 INSPECTION AND WEIGHING 2022

Section

Promoting U.S. Grai

International Custome

TOTAL COMPLAINTS 6

Educating New USDA, Foreign Agricultural Service Personnel

Complainant Grain/Commodity

Number of 

Complaints Nature of Complaint

China Sorghum

Soybeans

1

2

Zearalenone

Odor

Korea Soybeans 1 Damage

Italy Wheat 1 Short Weight

Malaysia Wheat 1 Damage

22 | FY 2022 FGIS Annual Report to Congress
In accordance with Federal civil rights law and USDA civil rights regulations and policies, the 

USDA, its Agencies, offices, and employees, and institutions participating in or administering 

USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, 

religion, sex, gender identity (including gender expression), sexual orientation, disability, 

age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, 

political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity 

conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint 

filing deadlines vary by program or incident.

Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program 

information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact 

the responsible Agency or USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TTY) or 

contact USDA through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339. Additionally, program 

information may be made available in languages other than English.

To file a program discrimination complaint, complete the USDA Program Discrimination 

Complaint Form, AD-3027, found online at How to File a Program Discrimination Complaint

and at any USDA office or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of the 

information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call (866) 632-9992. 

Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by: (1) mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, 

D.C. 20250-9410; (2) fax: (202) 690-7442; or (3) email: program.intake@usda.gov

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. 

Learn more about the Federal Grain Inspection Service www.ams.usda.gov

March 2023