How An Export Elevator Loads Grain On To A Ship

An export elevator can load a ship with 60,000 tons of grain, worth over $10 million, in two days. The weight certificate must be very accurate, due to the large sums of money involved. The USDA’s Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) typically has several officials on hand to inspect and weigh the grain.

An order of grain to be loaded aboard a ship, referred to as a lot, is divided into smaller units called sublots for inspection purposes. A sublot which does not pass inspection, referred to as a material portion, is not allowed to be loaded onto the ship. Grain is inspected by sublots rather than waiting for the entire lot to be loaded so the lot will be of uniform quality. A lot is often divided among several customers at its destination, so it is important for no customer to be stuck with a pocket of bad grain. Also, a pocket of bad grain could spoil during the voyage and contaminate the rest of the shipment.

           There is a different layout to every export elevator from which grain is loaded onto a ship. The diagram (above) shows the essential equipment arranged in a typical way. Blue represents grain coming from storage, being weighed, sampled, and held in a shipping bin while it is being graded. Yellow represents grain which has passed inspection and is being loaded onto a ship. For a more detailed explanation of the equipment, see GIPSA’s website, “Introduction to Grain Elevators,” www.usda.gov/gipsa/reference-library/vrml/intro.htm

 Source: USDA-GIPSA