Key topics in Grain Inspection from 65 Years Ago

Taken from the minutes of the May 6-9, 1956, meeting of the National Association of Chief Grain Inspectors and Federal Supervisors in Minneapolis.

Changes in the Wheat Standards were in the offing.

Some of the grade changes for wheat suggested by a group of millers, processors, and Chief Inspectors were: lower moisture content for tough grade; special grade for Extra dry wheat; reduce limits of shrunken and broken kernels; show dockage in ½ and whole percents; have more sanitation factors in grades; elimination of sub-classes; elimination of smut dockage.

The uneven loading of rail cars was a major concern.

A very noticeable step-up in the number of unevenly loaded cars has appeared during the last year in Southern Minnesota, Dakotas, Iowa, and Nebraska. Parts of these states had bad crops and shippers have been loading poor grain on bottom of cars and good grain on top and loading cars too full to reach the poor grains by probing. Many trucks have been found to have poor grain on bottom or near tail gate, so the automotive samplers are being given serious consideration for truck inspection at elevators. There should be a legal penalty for plugging cars.

This was an era of large government-owned (Commodity Credit Corporation – CCC) grain stocks.

There is 30 million bushels storage in Omaha and 20 million bushels of it is full of CCC dead storage, which as made a large decrease in inspection revenue, which has made it possible for grain firms to hire away inspection personnel. Trained personnel is very hard to replace. Therefore, Inspection fees should be higher, so salaries can be large enough to hold trained inspectors. Five dollars ($5.00) per car for inspection is recommended.

Elected as officers for 1956-67 were:

President – Tom Brown (Grand Forks)
Vice President – George Butler (Chattanooga)
Secretary-Treasurer – Steve Morris

Conference attendance totaled 133 of which 64 were inspectors, 57 were supervisors, and 12 were guests. Conference cost was $750 and the balance in the association treasury was $1,232.62.