Omaha Grain Inspection Service
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The Omaha Grain Inspection Service traces its roots back to the founding of the Omaha Grain Exchange in the early 1900’s. The Probst family has been there for most of those years. Richard Probst was the President of the grain inspection portion of the exchange for many years. When the Exchange dissolved in 1985, Richard and his wife Darlene purchased the inspection portion of the Exchange.
The devotion to serve the grain industry has never wavered, as is the agency’s desire to provide good jobs for their dedicated employees. Richard and Darlene’s desire to create a strong family business also continues to this day. Richard’s son Brian now owns and operates the agency, Brian’s wife Mindy is the Agency Manager, and their son Mitch works at the agency.
Omaha operates within about a 60-mile radius of Omaha, Nebraska. The agency was headquartered in Omaha for many years until last July when they moved to a much nicer location in Council Bluffs, Iowa. They inspect primarily corn, soybeans, and Hard Red Winter Wheat. In the past few years they have begun inspecting grain products such as, Distillers Dried Grains under the Agricultural Marketing Act.
Omaha provides onsite inspections at six shuttle train loading facilities, and three container loading sites. After a 20-year lapse, they resumed providing barge inspections last year. The agency has 19 full time employees, some of which have been with the agency for 40-years. Mindy says the historical knowledge held by the long-term employees is a wonderful asset. They provided valuable insight when the agency resumed inspecting barges.
Staffing for the unpredictable shuttle loaders is a constant challenge. The loaders have little notice when trains will arrive, and employees must be available 24/7 to meet their needs. Mindy says taking good care of your employees is imperative to be able to deal with shuttle loaders.
Brian says that challenges also arise when new facilities are built that do not request services and take grain away from your regular customers. Grain processors and ethanol plants are prime examples. That’s when you have to look for other opportunities such as providing additional services that customers need. Mindy says that is exactly what Omaha has done. They have begun providing falling number, and GMO testing. They continue to seek other services they can provide to grow their business.
Mindy says the agency has three principle goals; 1) Providing great service to the grain industry, 2) Providing great jobs for their employees, and 3) Providing a sustainable and growing business for generations to come. Meeting these goals is a good thing every day for the management team at the Omaha Grain Inspection Service.
For more information see their website by clicking here.