December 27, 2016 - In This Issue:

Official Inspection Agencies
There are all kinds of risks involved in operating a grain facility. However, inspection results don't need to be one of the risks, especially when you receive results from an Official Inspection Agency authorized by USDA's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA). 

Official inspections from authorized inspection agencies provide the most dependable results whether you are buying or selling. 

Official Inspection Agencies are: 
  • The gold standard under the NGFA trading rules.
  • The only inspection organizations that can issue a certificate backed by the United States Grain Standard Act (USGSA).
  • The only inspection organizations that are monitored on a daily basis by USDA.
  • The only inspection organizations with all equipment and personnel aligned to USDA's central grain quality reference point. 
  • Unbiased in their decisions. 
Only Official Inspection Agencies under the United States Grain Standards Act provide these assurances. Others, including those performing inspections under the Warehouse Act, do not provide these assurances. 



U.S. Drought Monitor

Streaks of heavy rain fell from the Ohio Valley into the Northeast. Temperatures as low as -40 degrees fell across northern portions of the Plains. Looking ahead, wind driven snow can be expected late in the holiday weekend across the Northern and Central Plains and upper Midwest.


 

Cold Spell Seen Threatening Winter Wheat in U.S. Plains, Midwest

Cold temperatures are expected in the plains and Midwest in the coming days. Roughly 20 percent of the Plains hard red winter wheat crop is vulnerable to damage. Also, 10 percent of the soft red winter wheat is at risk. 

The cold reached the Midwest on Sunday and Monday, but snow blanketed the region a day early. 

"Snow cover in northern (Midwest) areas should protect wheat from winterkill as cold conditions return," said MDA Weather Services in a note to clients. 

Soil can protect the plants, but the cold tends to penetrate dry soils more easily.