AAGIWA President Larry Kitchen reports that the Quality Management Program (QMP) Review Team assembled by FGIS has begun its initial work to re-evaluate the original QMP template for quality manuals and to make recommendations on how to improve the implementation process. The six person QMP Review Team has met twice by conference call, including a session yesterday, January 3.

The Team at its first meeting on December 18 agreed on these goals:

• Review the current GIPSA Quality Management Standard to assess the relevance of each element to the official inspection system.
• Possibly identify what elements should be written procedures in an official service provider’s Quality Manual.
• Examine the usefulness of developing content guidelines for every element that requires a written procedure.
• Review some existing agency’s quality plan documents and processes to explore the possibility of producing examples of effective procedures and documentation.
• Assess the value of producing a checklist to aid official service providers in performing internal audits.

Objectives for the January 3 meeting were to:

• Discuss circulated documents.
• Determine the scope of the efforts of the group.
• Discuss timeline and check points of progress.
• Determine next steps.

The timeline for the group, as laid out by Karen Guagliardo, Chief, Review Branch, Compliance Division, FGIS, is for the group to present its recommendations to FGIS management by April 18, 2008.

Members of the QMP Review Team are:

• From FGIS, Bob Krouse, Mark Wooden, and Ken Critchfield and
• From official agencies, Larry Kitchen (Missouri Dept. of Agriculture/AAGIWA President), Dave Reeder (Fremont Grain Inspection Department/AAGIWA Secretary-Treasurer), and Al Carlin (Kankakee Grain Inspection).

Mr. Kitchen said AAGIWA welcomed this opportunity to be part of the solution to a situation which, as originally designed, did not appear to be workable. He complimented FGIS management for its willingness to re-evaluate the program.

In his role as a member of the Review Team, Mr. Kitchen said he would welcome comments and suggestions from all AAGIWA members. Those suggestions should be sent to Mr. Kitchen by e-mail at: larry_kitchen@sbcglobal.net.

In an e-mail to agency employees on December 21, 2007, GIPSA Deputy Administrator David Shipman announced that Tom O’Connor has been selected as the new Director of the FGIS Compliance Division, effective January 20, 2008. Shipman said, “Tom brings to the position a wealth of agricultural and management experience, and the essential qualities of personal and professional integrity.”

O’Connor (pictured at right) earned his Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, an MS degree in Environmental Engineering and Science from Virginia Tech and an MBA from Memphis State University. He has held a variety of positions in the grain and oilseed industry, including manager of grain operations for the Central Soya Company in the late 1980’s. From 1990 to 2005, he was the Director of Technical Services at the National Grain and Feed Association. His responsibilities included government relations in the areas of occupational safety and health, environmental compliance, food safety, grain quality, and biotechnology. Most recently, O’Connor has served as the National Trade Director for Grains for the USDA/Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). As National Trade Director, he represented the U.S. during negotiations on phytosanitary issues, and excelled at bring stakeholders together to resolve complex trade issues. He is also a past speaker at the AAGIWA annual meeting.

Recent research at Kansas State University has found that cattle fed distiller's grain have an increased prevalence of E. coli 0157:H7 in their hindgut. This particular type of E. coli is present in healthy cattle but poses a health risk to humans, who can acquire it through undercooked meat, raw dairy products and produce contaminated with cattle manure.

"Distiller's grain is a good animal feed. That's why ethanol plants are often built next to feedlots," said T.G. Nagaraja, a professor of diagnostic medicine and pathobiology at K-State's College of Veterinary Medicine.

The growth in ethanol plants means more cattle are likely to be fed distiller's grain, therefore harboring 0157:H7 and potentially a source of health risks to humans, Nagaraja said. That's why he and Jim Drouillard, K-State professor of animal sciences, have been collaborating on testing distiller's grain-fed cattle for 0157:H7. Nagaraja and Drouillard, who studied the carcass quality of cattle fed distiller's grain, are joined by Megan Jacob, a K-State doctoral student in pathobiology. Through three rounds of testing, Nagaraja said the prevalence of 0157:H7 was about twice as high in cattle fed distiller’s grain compared with those cattle that were on a diet lacking the ethanol byproduct.

"This is a very interesting observation and is likely to have profound implications in food safety," Nagaraja said.

Nagaraja said research in the next few years will focus on finding out why 0157:H7 is more prevalent in cattle fed a distiller's grain diet. He said it could be something that changes in the animals' hindgut (cecum, colon, and rectum) as a result of feeding distiller's grains, or maybe the byproduct provides a nutrient for the bacteria.

"Feeding cattle distiller's grain is a big economic advantage for ethanol plants," Nagaraja said. "We realize we can't tell cattle producers, 'Don't feed distiller's grain.' What we want to do is not only understand the reasons why 0157:H7 increases, but also find a way to prevent that from happening.”

AAGIWA members report occasional inquiries from State regulatory authorities regarding checktesting official grain inspection equipment. That oversight responsibility, though, resides with the Federal government according to John Giler, Director of FGIS’ Field Management Division.

Giler states:

“The Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration (GIPSA), in concert with the USDA Office of General Counsel, have reviewed our legislative authority (United States Grain Standards Act, as amended), and have determined our legislative authority preempts a State’s authority to test laboratory scales and grain moisture measuring devices located in official grain inspection offices operated by the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS), a program of GIPSA, and official agencies (designated agencies and Delegated States) operating on our behalf.

“The United States Grain Standards Act contains explicit language regarding the relationship of the Federal law to State and local laws:

[7 U.S.C. 87g] (a) No State or subdivision thereof may require the inspection or description in accordance with any standards of kind, class, quality, condition, or other characteristics of grain as a condition of shipment, or sale, of such grain in interstate or foreign commerce, or require any license for, or impose any other restrictions upon, the performance of any official inspection or weighing function under this Act by official inspection personnel. Otherwise nothing in this Act shall invalidate any law or other provision of any State or subdivision thereof in the absence of a conflict with this Act.

“Our legal review has determined that this section of the Act provides GIPSA with an exemption to State law regarding the required testing of laboratory scales and grain moisture measuring devices used for commercial purposes.”

To help growers realize potential export markets for their crops, the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) maintains a database of biotech products and their approval status by Japan and the European Union. Called “Know Before You Grow,” the program has just been updated for the 2008 planting season.

Of 24 registered hybrid traits covered in the database, 22 have been approved in Japan, 10 for food and feed use in the EU, and 13 for feed use in the EU. The database lists nearly 4,000 seed products based on these biotech traits.

In 2004, the European Union ended a six-year moratorium on new biotech products with the adoption of stricter labeling standards. The seed industry identifies hybrids from non-EU approved traits under the Market ChoicesTM label. Corn growers are urged to channel hybrids not fully approved for EU export into one of three markets: their own livestock rations, domestic livestock feeding channels, or elevators accepting grain not yet fully approved for EU export.

To review the export approval status of biotech corn hybrids, visit the NGGA web site at: http://www.ncga.com/biotechnology/Search_hybrids/know_where.asp

AAGIWA Vice President Mark Fulmer says he is looking for a few good volunteers to help him staff a booth at the GEAPS annual technical conference and trade show to be held February 24-26 in Omaha. Fulmer is coordinating the AAGIWA exhibit and said volunteers should contact him at lincolninspectionmf@neb.rr.com if they are available to help staff the booth. Fulmer said, “GEAPS represents a wonderful audience of grain industry decision-makers with whom we want to have a strong relationship so they know who to call when they have questions.” GEAPS is expecting the Omaha convention to be its largest ever with an attendance that could exceed 2,000.

AAGIWA is pleased to welcome Charm Sciences, Inc., as a new associate member. Charm Sciences, based in Lawrence, Massachusetts, manufactures and distributes rapid tests for aflatoxin, DON, Zearalenone, and Fumonisin. The firm also provides analysis for the presence of antibiotics in grain.

Charm Sciences developed the first rapid food safety test in 1978 (Charm I for antibiotics) and, according to the company, has remained the leader in product innovation and support to the world's food industry with distribution in over 60 countries. The company says it is committed to set the global standard of excellence in all areas of food safety technology.

Contact Gerard Ruth with the Charm Sciences sales team for further information at (978) 687-9200, ext. 133, or by e-mail at gerardr@charm.com.

AAGIWA President Larry Kitchen says membership renewal letters were mailed to all AAGIWA members on December 21. He said with the Association’s increased activity level, the dues for 2008 have gone up modestly – the first dues increase in many years. But, he said, he hoped Association members had noticed the major changes in the group’s operations and profile that were accomplished in 2007. The dues increase, he said, is needed to maintain the momentum AAGIWA has begun to achieve as a positive and successful advocate for official agencies.

Membership renewals are due by January 31 and should be sent to AAGIWA Secretary-Treasurer Dave Reeder at: Fremont Grain Inspection, 603 East Dodge, Fremont, NE 68025.

Reeder said he encourages all AAGIWA members to check their membership listing on the Association’s web site (www.aagiwa.org) for accuracy. He noted that many of the contact names and other information have not been updated for over a year. Please send any corrections to Reeder at: fgid@neb.rr.com.

Looking for a way to move that used equipment you are no longer using? Place an ad in CHAFF – the most well-targeted publication for used inspection equipment. The advertising cost for members begins at $100. Ads for the February issue must be submitted by January 25th. For further information, contact Bob Petersen at bob.petersen@aagiwa.org.

AAGIWA is in search of an accomplished volunteer photographer to help out during the Association’s annual meeting April 27-30, 2008 in Kansas City. The photographer would take individual photos of AAGIWA’s Board of Directors, as well as general photos during the meeting sessions. Anyone interested should let Bob Petersen know at bob.petersen@aagiwa.org.

AAGIWA is now booking sponsors for future issues of Chaff. Chaff can present your company with a unique opportunity to hit a very targeted audience of key executives in a venue that has strong readership in the agriculture industry. It is an excellent marketing opportunity – contact Bob Petersen for further information.