Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry
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The Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry’s (LDAF’s) Grain Inspection Program is built on “pride in service” to all aspects of the grain marketing system, from the farmer to elevators. Louisiana is committed to serving and communicating with all their clients through the grades they issue and training they provide. Providing anything they can to help Louisiana farmers, and anybody involved in the grain industry is their priority and being “the best they can be” in all aspects of everything they do is their goal.
Louisiana has grading offices in Oak Grove, Delhi, and Jonesville, with headquarters in Baton Rouge. Barge inspections along the Mississippi River and some of its tributaries comprise most inspections. Most barges are sampled using diverter type samplers, and the State also provides ellis cup and probe sampling. The office in Delhi provides unit train inspections on a weekly basis with most grain going to Mexico.
Corn and soybeans are the primary crops inspected, followed by some wheat and sorghum. Soybeans, wheat, and sorghum are inspected primarily at harvest, while corn is inspected year-round. Farmers tend to bin their corn on their farms and deliver it to elevators throughout the year.
Program Manager Chad Price said, “The adverse weather that occurs around harvest time in Louisiana determines the grain quality. Rains associated with southern storms and hurricanes can change the crop quality instantly. These storms can also delay harvest which only compounds the problem.” It is critical that farmers in Louisiana are able to harvest as soon as the crop is ready. Some years the weather cooperates, and the crop is exceptional, and in other years samples straight from the field may have 70 percent damage or more because weather prevented a timely harvest. Those years where the weather does not cooperate make grading a challenge. Price added, “Farmers do not know what they have until they put the combine in the field, and a couple of days can make a great difference.”
While the inspection staff is small, they are all fully committed to providing service. The State employs eight full time inspectors and three laborers that work as samplers and technicians. During harvest, which typically runs from July through February, they add 10 additional laborers to assist. Most of these part-time employees return year after year, and employee turnover is extremely rare for all employees. In Louisiana, inspectors, supervisors and managers are cross trained. They are licensed and trained to sample, perform technical duties, calibrate machinery and issue certificates. No one person is dedicated to just one duty. Cross utilization allows the State to provide customers service whenever and wherever needed.
Ronnie Swayze, former Program Manager, and now part-time employee said there have been many changes since he began in 1982. When he started, soybeans were about the only grain inspected. “Farmers growing corn, in those days, fed the corn they grew to their cattle, said Swayze. The proliferation of corn and sorghum over the years added these grains to their workload. Also, in the early days, upwards of 80 percent of all sampling was done with a probe. Today, the majority is done with a diverter sampler, which makes the job of sampling easier, but requires more employees to perform the task. The rail facility at Delhi has added a steady rail inspection business. Prior to the Delhi facility, very few rail cars were ever sampled. The addition of on-farm storage also changed the inspection program from a seasonal barge operation to a year-round operation.
Price said that what keeps his interest in the grain inspection business is that he can take pride in what he does. “When I grade a sample and put my name on a certificate, I’m proud to be a big part of the marketing of that grain.” That same pride can be found in all the Louisiana employees. “It’s extremely fulfilling when something you’ve never seen before in the grain world comes up and you’re able to address the issue and assist Louisiana farmers and the grain industry,” added Price.
Price and Swayze also said that Louisiana greatly values the relationship they have with the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) and that relationship remained strong when their point of contact was moved from the FGIS Port Allen office to the Kansas City office. They are very appreciative of FGIS’s commitment to the success of the LDAF Grain Inspection Program.
Price and Swayze are quick to give credit to their dedicated employees. The average experience for employees is approximately 20 years, which includes several new employees that are just as dedicated and willing to do whatever task is needed to service their customers. They also value the support of LDAF Commissioner Mike Strain, D.V.M. who is committed to a strong inspection program to ensure the success of Louisiana farmers and the grain industry.