Kansas Grain Inspection Service

The Kansas Grain Inspection Service (KGIS) was initially founded by the State of Kansas as a State agency in 1897 at the request of the grain industry. The agency was headquartered in the Wyandotte County Board of Trade office in Kansas City, Kansas. After some discussion, the agency moved to the Kansas City Board of Trade office in Kansas City, Missouri. Before long, the Kansas folks didn’t think having a Kansas State agency headquartered in another State was something, they could support so the agency moved back across the State line to Kansas.

In those early years, the “Chief Grain Inspector of the State of Kansas” was responsible for making the rules reflect the current year’s crop quality which meant the grading rules could change each year. However, when the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA) was being debated, KGIS let everyone know that they would honor the proposed legislation a year before the USGSA was established.

KGIS’s commitment to the official inspection system has been constant and a cornerstone of how they operate. Their mission statement is “To promote official inspection services to the grain industry, and to provide the most efficient, unbiased and timely service possible”. Working with the industry to show how the official system can be a benefit is a source of pride for KGIS and Agency President Tom Meyer.

In the early years, many employees were employed due to political affiliations. Realizing the agency needed to portray the most integrity possible, the State passed a bill outlawing this practice in 1932.

During those early years, the agency employed around 240 employees and had upwards of 40 inspection laboratories. Many of these laboratories were called “Guaranteed Offices” where KGIS had a full-time presence to service that site, and if the inspection revenue did not cover the cost, the elevator or mill would pick up the difference.

By the 60s, KGIS had around 300 employees. Many of which were samplers that reported directly to the rail yards to sample boxcars and hopper cars. It was not uncommon for a single railyard to have 400 cars needing sampling each day.

In 1975 the agency had eight full time offices and only two Guaranteed Offices. However, they still had 200 employees, half of which were samplers.

In 1996 the State began an effort to find State programs that could work better as private organizations, and grain inspection was a prime candidate for this effort. The industry also realized that transitioning to a private organization would allow them to receive better service. As a State agency when new equipment was needed the KGIS would have to go before the State legislature to obtain funds. Usually the legislature would appropriate less funds than needed and the grain industry had to deal with not receiving the full amount of service they needed. This all changed in 1997 when the State agreed to let KGIS become a private agency.

Transitioning to a private agency allowed KGIS to expand its services to include Colorado, southwestern Nebraska, and southeastern Wyoming. KGIS is currently headquartered in Topeka with offices in Colby, Concordia, Dodge City, Kansas City, Salina, Wichita, and one office outside of Kansas in Sidney, Nebraska. They also have 30 onsite laboratories. KGIS employs approximately 115 full time and 12 part-time employees.

On any given day KGIS can grade 15 different commodities including edible beans under their Agricultural Marketing Act agreement with FGIS. The agency also has two harvests each year to contend with. The first harvest is the summer wheat harvest. The second harvest includes corn, soybean, sorghum, sunflower, confectionary sunflower seeds, and edible beans in the fall.

Tom Meyer is quick to point out that each of these harvests, and each commodity within the harvest, presents different challenges each year. It’s that challenge and KGIS’s desire to meet those challenges that keeps Tom and the staff captivated with the grain inspection business. With all the different commodities to inspect and the various tests the industry needs, no two days are the same. Tom also points out that on any given day they may be loading six different unit trains, each under a different loading plan. It is also not uncommon to have a unit train consisting of three different types of grain. Making sure you have the right persons in place to grade all those grains can be a challenge.

KGIS sees nothing but a bright future ahead. They believe the grain industry sees the value of the official inspection system and as the need for more information about product quality grows so will the need for the official system. One only has to look to the increase in mycotoxin testing brought about by the Food Safety Modernization Act to see that everyone wants more information, and the official system can provide that information. The greatest challenge is finding employees that want to work in agricultural industries, which is a challenge for everyone in agriculture to overcome.

The addition of containerized grain inspection and weighing in Kansas City, Kansas has also been an exciting and welcome addition to the cadre of services that can be provided.

The ability to work with the industry to promote the official system is a source of great pride for KGIS. It is a source of gratification that the industry comes to KGIS with questions and trusts their input to work through problems. KGIS is a firm believer in conducting grading schools for the industry. These schools provide the industry with the opportunity to learn the purpose of the official system and opens the doors for discussions between the two parties. Those discussions create trust, cooperation, and opportunities for how best to move forward in these changing times.

Service is also a source of pride at KGIS, and Tom is quick to point out that this is because of the commitment each employee at KGIS has to the industry and KGIS. There has never been a train that lacked a crew from KGIS being there ready to provide service. Tom gives KGIS employees all the credit for their willingness to work on an hour’s notice that makes this possible.

After 123 years committed to promoting the official grain inspection service and meeting customer’s needs through every change, everyone can count on KGIS carrying the official inspection system forward for many more years.