Who we are
North Dakota Grain Inspection Service, Inc. "NDGI" and Illinois Official Grain Inspection "IOGI" are the federally designated laboratories licensed to officially sample and grade grain under the United States Grain Standards Act in their respective areas. While locally there may be other inspection labs operating, the USDA grants only one agency the authority to carry out and issue official inspections for that locale.
What we can do for you
Give accurate and consistent inspection of agricultural products. Whether the grain has recently been harvested, is being delivered to a domestic processor, or is entering the export market, a federally licensed lab is the most dependable and precise inspection option available. This is vital to your bottom-line whether you are a producer, merchandiser or buyer.
We service all parties in the production, merchandising,
storage, and processing of grain!
Servicing the elevator & merchandiser....
Official inspections serve both the buyer and the seller of agricultural commodities. Any interested party can request that a lot of grain be officially sampled and inspected. The results of that inspection can be used to avoid disputes and resolve possible conflicts. When an official inspection is performed prior to shipment, costly transportation delays and the catastrophic expense of rejected lots can be avoided. When disputes over grain are at their worst, an official grain certificate that is received by an official agency is the only evidence of truth.
Serving the producer....
An inspection certificate issued by an official agency can be a useful tool for the grower of agricultural products. Given the very tight margins for profit, the need to be sure of the quality of that product is very important. This information, when provided to the producer accurately and promptly, can assist in marketing for the greatest earning potential. During extended periods of storage, the cost of submitting a sample of grain for analysis can be returned many times over. With the help of an official grain inspection laboratory, a producer can continually monitor the condition of their product and often avoid the disastrous financial consequences that occur when a sudden change in quality comes about.
Serving the processor....
Many processors of agricultural commodities are now utilizing licensed inspection labs to provide independent sampling and inspections onsite. Official agencies can set up sampling and/or inspection service points at a facility. Under the United States Grain Standards Act these satellite labs are required to maintain the same strict quality control standards as the agency's primary laboratory. NDGI and IOGI maintain many service points throughout the Dakotas, Minnesota, Illinois, and Missouri.
What is an official agency?
While NDGI and IOGI are privately operated, unlike unlicensed labs, they are required to follow stringent rules and regulations set forth by the USDA. All personnel employed at an approved agency must pass an examination and be licensed under the United States Grain Standards Act. Equipment at the labs must also meet strict federal standards and be continually check tested and remain in service only if the results of those exams fall within the tight margins established by the Federal Grain Inspection Service. Customers can be assured of dependable and accurate grades due to NDGI and IOGI being required to meet the USDA's tough standards. From the fields harvested in North Dakota and Minnesota, to the barges loaded on the Mississippi River, while under supervision of the USDA, our labs can meet all your grain inspection needs.
What is an official inspection?
There are two types of certificates an official agency can issue under the United States Grain Standards Act: Official Certificates and Submitted Sample Certificates. Official Certificates represent the grade on a lot of grain that has been sampled and inspected by the official agency's licensed personnel. Submitted Sample Certificates represent a sample that was drawn and submitted to the official lab by the applicant. Because the official agencies licensed sampler did not take that sample, the Submitted Sample Certificate will represent only the amount of grain submitted for testing.
If either the buyer or seller of grain is dissatisfied with the results after an official agency has performed an inspection and issued an official or submitted sample certificate, the United States Grain Standards Act specifies several options. Interested parties can request a reinspection in the same laboratory, or because the original inspection was performed in a federally licensed lab, a request can be made for an appeal inspection. The local USDA Federal Grain Inspection Service Field Office and/or the FGIS Board of Appeals and Review in Kansas City would perform an appeal inspection.
Our History....
North Dakota Grain Inspection Service, Inc. has been serving the inspection needs of eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota since 1968. In 1999 North Dakota Grain Inspection Service, Inc. saw the opportunity to expand the scope of its enterprise and purchased Southern Illinois Grain Inspection, which had been doing business in Illinois for 21 years. This acquisition has simplified the tracking of rail and truck lots from North Dakota and Minnesota, and barge and rail shipments from the St. Louis area to their final destination. Customers of North Dakota Grain Inspection Service, Inc. can be assured that origin grades on their commodities will continue to be valid throughout the shipment's journey, whether its final destination is a local processing plant or for export at the Gulf of Mexico. In 2003 North Dakota Grain Inspection Service, Inc. also expanded by serving the Dickinson, ND area and South Eastern Montana. The USDA website also contains a great deal of useful information about the federal grain inspection system and can be found at www.usda.gov/gipsa.