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Corn Export Cargo Quality Report 2011/2012

Contents

  1. Export Cargo Quality Highlights
  2. Survey Overview
  3. Grade Factors and Moisture
  4. Chemical Composition
  5. Physical Factors
  6. Mycotoxins
  7. Corn Export System
  8. U.S. Export Corn Flow
  9. Impact of the Corn Market Channel on Quality
  10. U.S. Government Inspection and Grading
  11. Survey Design and Sampling
  12. Statistical Considerations
  13. Corn Grading Factors
  14. Chemical Composition
  15. Physical Factors
  16. Grade Requirements and Conversions
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Corn Grading Factors

Test Weight

Test weight is the weight of the volume of grain that is required to fill a Winchester bushel (2,150.42 cubic inches) to capacity. Test weight is a part of the FGIS Official United States Standards for Grain grading criteria.

The test involves filling a test cup of known volume through a funnel held at a specific height above the test cup to the point where grain begins to pour over the sides of the test cup. A strike-off stick is used to level the grain in the test cup, and the grain remaining in the cup is weighed. The weight is then converted to and reported in the traditional U.S. unit, pounds per bushel (lb/bu).

Broken Corn and Foreign Material (BCFM)

Broken corn and foreign material (BCFM) is part of the FGIS Official United States Standards for Grain grading criteria.

The BCFM test determines the amount of all matter that passes through a 12/64th inch round-hole sieve and all matter other than corn that remains on the top of the sieve. BCFM measurement can be separated into broken corn and foreign material. Broken corn is defined as all material passing through a 12/64th inch round-hole sieve and retained on a 6/64th inch sieve. Foreign material is defined as all material passing through a 6/64th inch round-hole sieve and the coarse non-corn material retained on the 12/64th inch sieve. While FGIS can report broken corn and foreign material separately if requested, BCFM is the default measurement and thus was provided for the Export Cargo Quality Report. BCFM is reported as a percentage of the initial sample by weight.

Total Damage/Heat Damage

Total damage is part of the FGIS Official United States Standards for Grain grading criteria.

A representative working sample of 250 grams of BCFM-free corn is visually examined by a trained and licensed inspector for content of damaged kernels. Types of damage include blue-eye mold, cob rot, dryer-damaged kernels (different from heat-damaged kernels), germ-damaged kernels, heat-damaged kernels, insect-bored kernels, mold-damaged kernels, mold-like substance, silk-cut kernels, surface mold (blight), surface mold, mold (pink Epicoccum), and sprout-damaged kernels. Total damage is reported as the weight percentage of the working sample that is total damaged grain.

Heat damage is a subset of total damage and is kernels and pieces of corn kernels that are materially discolored and damaged by heat. Heat damaged kernels are determined by a trained and licensed inspector visually inspecting a 250-gram sample of BCFM-free corn. Heat damage, if found, is reported separately from total damage.

Moisture

The moisture recorded at the time of inspection is reported by electronic moisture meters that sense an electrical property of grains called the dielectric constant that varies with moisture. The dielectric constant rises as moisture content rises. Moisture is reported as a percent of total wet weight.