Summer 2005
The week of May 15, 2005, representatives of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), and Byron Reilly, representing FGIS, traveled to Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to meet with local inspectors of SENASICA, Mexico’s phytosanitary and quality inspection section within the Ministry of Agriculture (SAGARPA). A presentation was given on the role of FGIS and official inspection agencies, quality control programs, export sampling and inspection of railcars, and the remote printing certification process.
The trip gave us a better understanding of Mexico’s procedures for clearing import documents and releasing grain trains from the U.S. We also discussed this process with U.S. freight forwarders and Mexican customs agents and heard different versions of the clearance process.
They said they wished they were able to access all FGIS inspection certificates and APHIS phytosanitary certificates via the Internet and remote print them in their offices. Some agents have color laserjet printers so they can print the blue ink signatures.
Although many SENASICA inspectors have been accepting the remote printed certificates as originals, Mexican law requires all documents to be originals signed by hand in blue ink. This was one of the main issues we wanted to address with SENASICA and ask them to accept remote printed certificates as originals and not require another signed original to be sent by overnight courier.
Each SENASICA border office we visited had different hours for clearing the documents, sampling railcars, and releasing the cars. Depending on the type of grain, a different percentage of cars are sampled. Only the quality inspection certificates for soybeans, due to Asian rust, and for wheat, due to TCK smut, are required by SENASICA.
SENASICA examines the tops of all railcars for cleanliness as they enter the Mexican rail yards. With the exception of Ciudad Juarez, sampling is done by private contractors. FGIS would not consider their samples to be representative because they only use a 4-foot open throat probe and their sampling procedures varied from location to location.
Some inspectors were upset to learn that many unit trains were inspected by unofficial companies. They wrote letters of concern to their superiors in Mexico City. Later, Byron Reilly, met with SENASICA officials in Mexico City to discuss the border trip. He explained the need for SENASICA border offices to extend their hours and to accept remote printed certificates as originals.
They said they would like their border offices to be able to log into a secure data server to view the inspection certificate rather than a remote printed certificate whose data could be manipulated. They asked for more information on the official inspection agencies.
Byron gave them the translated brochures and inspection CDs in Spanish that AAGIWA handed out last fall during our inspection seminars in Mexico.
Meetings with SENASICA officials strengthen our relationship and instilled more confidence in our official inspection system.
Do you know the current OSHA and FGIS’s rules on when and where fall protection is required? In October 1996 OSHA issued a “Letter of Interpretation –Enforcement of Fall Protection on Moving Stock” for the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) since the past and current regulation do not specifically address fall hazards from the tops of rolling stock. The industry understanding of this Letter of Interpretation is as follows; however, some area OSHA offices have a different interpretation.
1. The content of rolling stock, when located in yards, on sidings or similar locations, frequently have to be sampled to ensure continued grain quality… Employees or inspectors may walk along the tops of the cars while they go from car to car to obtain samples. Plain English – If cars are away from any structure then fall protection is not required.
2. When railcars are “positioned inside of or contiguous to a building or other structure where the installation of fall protection is feasible” then there must be fall protection used when on top of these railcars. Plain English – The elevator and the official agency can be issued a citation at any time if OSHA deems that the cars were next to a structure and the installation of fall protection was feasible. If a string of cars are inside of a train shed or along side of a concrete house you must have fall protection along the entire structure to be on top of these cars. Typically at grain elevators the overhead fall arrest system is located at the load-out spout with the span of 4 to 6 cars. FGIS will only allow its employees to be on top of the cars with access to fall protection.
3. The General Duty Clause, Section 5(a)(1) of the OSHAct, requires an employer to provide employees with a workplace that is free from hazards that are recognized by the employer’s industry and that are likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Thus, where feasible means exist to eliminate or materially reduce the hazard, a citation can be issued for a Section 5(a) (1) violation.
For example: a. In the case of inclement weather such as icy conditions or heavy winds, both the grain handling company and the agency are responsible for guarding against workplace hazards. Plain English – The elevator and the official agency can be issued a citation if OSHA deems that bad weather was a factor in an accident.
b. In addition to making a determination as to whether the tops of the railcars are safe and free from hazards to allow employees to perform their duties, the employer should also make an assessment of the employee’s physical ability to perform the job and ensure that employees have received adequate training to perform the job safely.
Plain English – The employer can be issued a citation if OSHA deems that an employee is not physically capable to perform the job or if the employee is not properly trained.
AdamsNet has added 2 new agencies to our network: The Omaha Grain Inspection Service and OMIC of West Sacramento, California. Therefore, we now have 20 agencies in the network.
We are in the process of extending our remote printing system to the Mexican border stations. Testing is under way and the system should be in place by July 1st.
The next features to be added are the ability to enter and print Stowage Exam, Official Weights and Divided Lot certificates. This should be in operation near fall.
On July 1, barley proteins will become official and will appear on the official certificate entry screens.
Superior, WI - The Grain Inspection Grain Advisory Committee unanimously approved a plan that would combine Duluth and Superior grain inspection offices into one and keep operations in the public sector.
The plan would keep inspections services under the direction of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and Minnesota Department of Agriculture rather than switch operations to a private company.
"I think it's a good plan," Mike Granlund, the grain operations manager for the superior facility said. The Superior facility employs 26 permanent people.
TSD has selected Illinois Official Inspection and Champaign Danville Grain Inspection to be the agencies participating in the pilot program for the Central Monitoring Lab and the proposed changes in the equipment check testing procedures. The target date for the pilot is October 1, 2005.
Changes in the equipment check testing may include elimination of annual/semi-annual requirements, when testing is required—utilizing known results, water volume only for test weight, and using the data comparisons for moisture machines in lieu of samples.
I hope everyone is having a good and prosperous summer. AAGIWA has had an interesting spring and start to the summer since our last newsletter. Many agencies attended the agency meeting in Cincinnati. Topics were covered by qualified participants offering valuable input. It was a meeting well worth attending and AAGIWA was happy to sponsor the reception and banquet.
We were also invited to testify in front of Congress to the two sub-committees in charge of the reauthorization of GIPSA. We listed length of designation, 3 years to 5 years, ethanol by-product testing, and no new user fees for standardization. We supported the National Grain and Feed in their concerns with GIPSA and the privatization of the exports, providing the States already providing the inspections remain doing so. We have had positive meetings with Mexico on important issues with good responses. More meetings are scheduled for this fall.
AAGIWA is looking for input from our members on developing a promotional CD that members can hand out at trade shows or give to their own customers. We want to show the advantages of belonging to AAGIWA and what it may mean for you and your customers.
I think we also need to think about having our own server to help out our customers. This should protect our customer’s privacy while helping them with export issues. Being able to guarantee the safe and timely transmitting of documents by an AAGIWA member could be invaluable. With the new train loading regulations being implemented we could offer immediate transfer of all documents, including phyto’s. We need to think of ways to make agencies indispensable to our customers, and make AAGIWA a credible force within the industry.
With that said, I invite everyone to stay in touch. Have a nice summer! Tom Dahl, AAGIWA President Sioux City, Iowa
GIPSA currently is revising the classification policy for Hard White Wheat.
In 2001 GIPSA established a classification policy for Hard White wheat under which only light colored kernels of Hard White wheat were considered as CCL or WOCL when found in Hard Red Winter wheat or Hard Red Spring wheat.
The policy facilitated trade, especially in years when growing conditions made Hard White wheat darker than normally expected.
The new policy for classifying Hard White wheat states: All Hard White wheat varieties are considered Hard White wheat regardless of color and regardless of whether they are in a predominantly Hard White wheat sample or a predominantly hard red wheat sample, and all Hard White wheat kernels will be counted as wheat of other classes in Hard Red Winter wheat and Hard Red Spring wheat. GIPSA is releasing the new Hard White wheat classification policy 15 months prior to the effective date.
Effective May 1, 2006, Hard White wheat will not be counted as a contrasting class (CCL) in Hard Red Winter wheat or Hard Red Spring wheat. All Hard White wheat will be counted as wheat of other classes (WOCL) when found in pre-dominantly Hard Red Winter wheat or Hard Red Spring wheat.
Hard Red Winter wheat and/or Hard Red Spring wheat has always been, and will continue to be, counted as both CCL and WOCL when found in predominantly Hard White wheat.
Presentations of the new “Aquamatic Moisture Meter 5100” from Perten Instruments was made to AAGIWA members in January 2005 in Las Vegas, NV and in April 2005 in Cincinnati, OH. The unit is now in Kansas City, MO being considered for NTEP approval.
The “Aquamatic 5100” features: the new “Unified Moisture Algorithm” (UMA) developed by the USDA and implemented in the Aquamatic 5100, determines moisture using one(1) calibration for all types of grains and oilseeds. Radio Frequency (RF) measurement of the dielectric constant of grain at 150 MHz radio frequency. Automatic Operation – operator need only select the commodity and pour the sample into the sample cell. The Aquamatic 5100 displays and prints moisture, bulk density (test weight) and sample temperature in about 8 seconds.
Romer Labs, Inc. Develops Rapid Strip Test for Aflatoxin. Union, MO. — Romer Labs, Inc. has developed a rapid lateral flow assay test kit for the detection of total aflatoxin (B1,B2,G1,G2) in corn. AgraStrip™ was specifically formulated to meet the needs of grain elevators or any operation requiring a rapid qualitative result. This testing method is not only rugged, but also user friendly and takes only minutes to train technicians.
Currently, test levels are available for purchase at 4ppb, 10ppb and 20 ppb making AgraStrip™ ideal for testing in an international marketplace. Information requests or orders for this all-inclusive test kit can be sent to office@romerlabs.com. Sales support staff can also be reached at (636) 583-8600. Romer Labs, Inc. will submit the product shortly for GIPSA approval.
Seedburo Equipment Company announces the release of their 2005 catalog as of June 1st. Although the catalog is printed without prices, prices are available on their web site at www.seedburo.com 24 hours a day, or call their offices between 8:30 - 4:30 CST, Monday through Friday for pricing or placing your orders.
Orders can be e-mailed to Kathy Reading kreading@seedburo.com or Tom Runyon trunyon@seedburo.com. We will be happy to send additional copies of the catalogs to distribute. E-mail our general sales mailbox to have us ship these at sales@seedburo.com.
AAGIWA and FGIS would like to form committees to address different topics of concern. The committees would meet and discuss various viewpoints and plans of actions.
Each committee would then present their resolutions at the next agency meeting. Regional committees with agency managers volunteering would be appropriate.
Let Tom Dahl at 712-255-8073 know who wants to be involved. He will pass along a format for the committees. We will be working in conjunction with FGIS employees to address these topics.
At the Annual AAGIWA Winter meeting in early 2006 two Board of Director positions will be up for election. These positions are currently held by Randy Dieke of The State of Washington, and Dave Reeder from Nebraska.
The other members on the Board of Directors are Barry Hibbets from Oklahoma, Kevin Bredthauer of Iowa, and Mark Fulmer of Nebraska.
Concern in the past over the associations directors being from a small region of the country can be changed by nominating members from different regions of the country. AAGIWA has been growing in membership in the past few years and now is a great time to get involved.
As a Director you would meet twice a year with the other Board of Directors. Once at the annual meeting in Las Vegas and again in the summer. The summer meeting is usually held in conjunction with an Advisory or some type of GIPSA meeting. As a director your lodging for these trips is reimbursed.
If you would like to be a Director on the AAGIWA board or know someone who would be a good representative contact President Tom Dahl, Vice President Larry Kitchen or a current director listed above.
The CHAFF newsletter is published four times a year by the American Association of Grain Inspection and Weighing Agencies. Please e-mail any suggestions or stories (including photos) by September 1, 2005 to Sandra Bredthauer at sbredthauer@fbx.com or mail to P.O. Box 250, Iowa Falls, Iowa 50126.
Thank you!
www.aagiwa.org
Be sure to visit the AAGIWA web-site as the grain-gram is posted on the site along with other information. If you have news of interest and would like to share it with other AAGIWA members send it to one of the officers or board members and it will be sent to be posted on the site.