MANHATTAN, Kan. — Focusing on the countries of Jordan and Egypt, the IGP Institute hosted the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Cochran Egypt and Jordan U.S. Grain Inspection Fellowship Program. Attended by 11 fellows, the program was designed around understanding the U.S. grain inspection process.
The fellows spent a majority of their time learning about the different grading standards and process for U.S. corn, sorghum, soybeans and wheat. Through this process the fellows learned in depth the role of the federal grain inspection service and what potential impurities to look for that could be in U.S. grain imports.
Elsayed Doshtor, inspector for the Central Administration of Plant Quarantine in Egypt, shares how the program helped to further his knowledge on grains.
“I learned a lot about techniques of inspection for grains like wheat, soybeans, and corn. We also covered trade, and the logistics that go into buying and selling grain,” says Doshtor.
During the two-week program, the fellows had the opportunity to visit the Cargill Westwego export facility and the Russell Marine Group in New Orleans, Louisiana. They also visited the Federal Grain Inspection Service in Kansas City, Missouri. While in Kansas, they toured the Cargill grain elevator in Salina, as well as visiting with the Kansas Wheat Commission and the Kansas Corn Commission in Manhattan.
“Overall, the objective of the program was to assist the countries of Egypt and Jordan in strengthening their understanding and grain inspection efforts to help decrease the rejection rate of U.S. grain and feed shipments,” says Shawn Thiele, IGP Institute associate director and flour milling and grain processing curriculum manager.
Participants learned about a variety of topics including the U.S. grain production and market system, the role of FGIS, U.S. grain grading, storage and quality management of U.S. corn and other grains, fumigation techniques, the U.S. grain transportation system, and many others relating to the importing and inspection of U.S. grains.
Shortly after the completion of the course, Egypt reinstated mandatory pre-shipment inspection of grain imports, according to a report by USDA. These new stipulations closely relate to the information and knowledge covered in the Cochran fellowship program, which helped prepare the fellows to correctly follow the new guidelines for inspections of U.S. grain imports.
In addition to flour milling and grain processing, the IGP Institute also offers courses in the areas of feed manufacturing and quality management, and grain marketing and risk management. To learn more about these other training opportunities, visit the IGP Institute website at www.ksu.edu/igp.
— Meghan Eidman, Communications Intern, IGP Institute, Department of Grain Science and Industry, Kansas State University
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