Champaign-Danville Grain Inspection Departments Inc.

Champaign-Danville Grain Inspection Departments Incorporated operates on two fundamentals. Company President David Ayers says they are “family-oriented, and customer driven”.

Champaign began providing inspection services in 1929. David purchased the company in 1992. In 1992 the agency employed 5 persons. Today they have 65 employees and provide official inspection service in Eastern and West-central Illinois, Western Indiana, and Southwest Michigan.

The agency is headquartered in Urbana, Illinois. They also have offices in Marshall, New Berline, and Hoopeston, Illinois, and Morocco, Indiana. One more office is being planned to meet increasing customer needs. David states that Champaign’s business has changed many times to meet their customer’s needs. Changes include transitions from inspecting boxcars, to hopper cars, to shuttle loaders, to containers. The shift to onsite laboratories was also a significant change over the last fifteen years. Through it all, remaining family-oriented and customer driven has served the agency well.

Champaign primarily inspects corn, soybeans, and soft red winter wheat. Routine mycotoxin tests include aflatoxin, fumonisin, vomotoxin, and occasionally zearalenone. The agency maintains over 50 onsite laboratories. Container inspections are provided at 10 locations, and the agency samples barges at 8 locations along the Illinois River. Phytosanitary inspections are performed on distillers dried grains under an Agricultural Marketing Act agreement with FGIS.

Rail inspections account for most services provided. Champaign performs around 120,000 to 130,000 rail inspections per year and issues over 170,000 certificates annually. David also relates that over the years, industry consolidation has reduced the number of customers. However, the amount of service needed from the remaining customers has greatly increased.

Most grain shipments go to the gulf, the southeast, and Mexico. In addition to barges, with access to the Mississippi River, rail shippers have access to the six major railroads (CSX, BNSF, KCS, CN, UP, and NS) to reach these destinations.

David believes being involved with trade organizations provides a great benefit. Champaign maintains memberships with the National Grain and Feed Association, the Grain Elevator and Processing Society, the Grain and Feed Association of Illinois, the Transportation, Elevator and Grain Merchants Association, and of course AAGIWA. These memberships provide access to a broad range of people throughout the grain industry and allows Champaign to resolve issues that can benefit both the customer and the agency. It is a source of pride at Champaign that people throughout the country contact them for thoughts and information. David attributes this to the contacts made through these memberships. These memberships also help David explain the benefits of the official inspection system.

Interactions with employees and customers throughout the grain industry keep things interesting, and the fact that every day is different makes operating an official agency rewarding for David.

While this year may be a challenge due to the drought, David sees a bright future for the official grain inspection system. It seems that the grain industry’s interest and appreciation for how the official inspection system can help their business continues to grow. Customers are looking for more avenues to sell their grain, and the official system helps them do that, so David sees only growth ahead for the official inspection system.

After 91 years of providing service, Champaign’s family-oriented, and customer driven focus has them well positioned for the future.