The inspectors

Commodity graders go with the grain

There's more than just a grain of truth in the work of Art Boline and Robb Hermanson. In fact, truth is ingrained in everything they do. They are agricultural commodity graders. "Or, in layman's terms," says Mr. Boline, "we are grain inspectors."

Theirs is an extraordinarily important role in the Port of Duluth-Superior because sellers and buyers of grain rely on the objectivity and accuracy of their work, and - without ever considering it - so do the worldwide consumers of the grains that are shipped through the Twin Ports.

[Robb Hermanson (left) and Art Boline (bottom right).]

Messrs. Boline and Hermanson, under the direction of Officer in Charge Theodore Respet, work for the Federal Grain Inspection Service. The purpose of their work is clear: "We facilitate the marketing of grain," says Mr. Boline. "We guarantee uniformity in the application of standards. We are an unbiased third party protecting the interests of both buyer and seller."

At risk of oversimplification, here is how the grain inspection system works in the Twin Ports. Let's follow a truck load of northern spring wheat from, say, Wahpeton, N.D.:

This truck, like every rail car and every other truck that arrives in the Twin Ports, has samples drawn for inspection. Doesn't matter if you're hauling a train of grain or a bushel of beet pulp pellets, every unit is sampled.

The federal service is not involved, hands-on, at this stage. Instead, each state has its own inspection service and its own inspectors.

In this case, as the truck arrives at Cenex Harvest States in Superior, a Wisconsin inspector examines and grades the grain. The driver is given an Official Grain Inspection Certificate and then, but not until then, the grain is deposited into the appropriate bin in the elevator. If traffic isn't too high, the job can be done in an hour or so.

The load from Wahpeton is graded No. 1 - that's very good - and joins other loads of No. 1 northern spring wheat in a bin just for that grain and that grade within the towers of the elevator. We'll send the truck on its way but watch over part of its cargo for just a while longer.

As coincidence, one of the samples from Wahpeton has gone to the office of the federal service. This isn't true of all loads that arrive in the Twin Ports, but can be true of any.

At the federal office, Mr. Boline or Mr. Hermanson or another member of the staff re-inspect the sample. Theirs is an oversight mission. Any significant variance in results will be called to the attention of the appropriate state service.

Meanwhile, our wheat from Wahpeton sits until it has a buyer. If its buyer is a customer in the U.S., it might or might not be inspected again. That would depend on the buyer. But in the case of the Wahpeton wheat, the grain is bound for, oh, let's say Algeria.

As is true with every shipment of grain for export, the wheat from Wahpeton will be inspected again. This is incredibly important, because the buyer might specify a specific blend of wheat. Not just No. 1 northern spring wheat, but a blend, say, of No. 1 and No. 3, with specific levels also of protein, moisture and other characteristics. The specific characteristics of the order are based on how much the buyer wants to pay and how the purchase will be used.

Now, as the grain is loaded into the holds of a ship, sampling and grading are nearly continuous and will continue until loading is complete. The job can run from eight to 24 hours or more.

With the grain outbound from Duluth-Superior, the inspection process is complete. (Oh, we could follow a sample to yet another level - the office in Minneapolis, where it will get yet another look. Or we could discuss the appeals process. But for this exercise, we'll let the process end here.)

Grain inspectors are not like state troopers, with each state having different speed limits. Instead, all grain inspectors work off the same sheet. All have passed federal tests and are licensed by the federal service.

Because the rules for inspection are developed by the federal service, techniques and standards are the same for all inspectors. Even the color and surface of the tables the inspectors use are the same, as are the lights. An inspector's workstation might not win any prizes from Martha Stewart, but an ounce of spring wheat from Wahpeton will get the same grade in Superior or Duluth that it would get in Pascagoula. Standards are standards.

"We act as quality control," says Mr. Hermanson of the federal office. "We are the controlling arm of each state. We provide expertise in case of questions. We are like the reference desk at the library.

"The guys up here - in our office and in the two state offices - take a back seat to no one. They take real pride in what they're doing. And that shows in their performance."

Some of the inspection is visual as inspectors check for deficiencies such as premature sprouting, as has occasionally been the case in recent months because of a relatively warm, moist fall in the Red River Valley.

Other parts of the inspection are based on the results of devices that measure protein levels, moisture and "falling numbers," an important measure that forecasts the performance of a grain in a baker's oven.

The largest inspection office in the Twin Ports is Wisconsin's, under the direction of Mike Granlund, with about 20 inspectors in Superior and other cities at peak season. "We have always prided ourselves on service," he says.

Minnesota's office, under the direction of John Tanski, has four inspectors in Duluth and others in other Minnesota locations. "I think one of the key features here," he says, "is the experience of our staff. Most everybody here has 20 years-plus."

The federal office in Duluth-Superior has three inspectors.

The offices are not tax-supported; instead, they operate on the fees they charge buyers and sellers.

The U.S. Grain Standards Act has specifications for 13 different grains. In the 1999 shipping season, 204 million bushels of grain were moved through the Twin Ports - every one with assurance of quality.

Quarantine officer inspects for plants and animals

The Twin Ports are blessed with an abundance of wildlife, including a wide variety of six-legged critters. But enough is enough. Jeana Marshak's job is to make sure that we stay with our natural complement.

She is the entire staff and the Plant Protection Quarantine (PPQ) officer of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Office, headquartered in Duluth. She says, "Some insects we don't have here - and don't want here."

The PPQ officer boards most saltwater vessels that arrive in the Twin Ports and inspects for sanitation conditions and for inappropriate - and illegal and harmful - plant and animal life that might be onboard.

If the ship is most recently from South America, for example, it will be inspected for Africanized honey bees, lately known as killer bees. If from the Far East, the inspection will focus on any trace of damaging Gypsy Moths.

Ms. Marshak also sets and monitors insect traps in the north country, checks the rare international flight arriving in Duluth and occasionally helps conduct random checks at the U.S.-Canadian border for incoming citrus or any other fruit that does not originate in Canada.

We'll get along with just the plant and animal life that we already have.