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Requirements for Approval of Grain Handling Facilities

Purpose

These requirements are the basis for approving facilities handling grain eligible for AOSCA IP™ grain certification. An MCIA approved seed conditioning plant is eligible to handle certified IP grain products.

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General Requirements
  1. Copies of U.S. grain standards, standards for the use of the AOSCA IP™ logo, and specific IP program standards for the products to be handled must be in the facility operator's possession.
  2. Facility must be inspected annually.
  3. Facility maintenance and house keeping must be adequate to ensure that the quality and identity of the IP products handled is maintained.
  4. Storage facilities and grain handling equipment must be adequate to ensure that the quality and identity of the IP products handled is maintained.
  5. An IP grain handler's agreement indicating the intention to comply with all IP? grain handling requirements must be signed each year by the facility manager.
  6. Only approved bins and equipment within the facility may be used to handle IP products.
  7. All equipment and storage facilities must be accessible for cleaning.
  8. MCIA has the right to inspect facilities and disposition records at any time.
  9. Only product handled by an agency approved IP grain handling facility shall be eligible for IP grain certification.

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Equipment Requirements
  1. Grain handling equipment adequate to meet IP product requirements.
  2. Sampling equipment adequate to allow representative samples to be drawn at MCIA designated locations in the facility.
  3. Weighing and grain testing equipment adequate to meet product handling needs.
  4. Distributors must have inspection doors large enough to allow the distributor to be thoroughly cleaned.
  5. Spouting shall be constructed of heavy gauge material and angled steeply.
  6. Inside of spouting must be smooth.

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Storage

  1. Pits and bins must be accessible for cleaning.
  2. Pits must have securely fitting covers.
  3. The valley angle in the pit shall be at least 45 degrees.
  4. All bins must be tightly constructed with smooth bin walls.
  5. Hopper bottoms must be metal or be lined.
  6. All bins must be identified with a number.
  7. Facility operator must identify bins to be used for handling IP products.

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Records

  1. All records must be kept for three years from date of product sale
  2. Records shall include the following:
    a. Product identity
    b. Owners name and address
    c. Growers name and address
    d. Field number(s)
    e. Grower's assigned bin number
    f. Facility bin number assigned
    g. Date received
    h. Amount received
    i. Lot number assigned
    j. How processed
    k. Copies of all test results
    l. Record of how product was labeled
    m. Correspondence or reports relating to product from any government agency
    n. Sales and shipping records
    1. Invoice number
    2. Invoice date
    3. Product identity
    4. Lot number
    5. Weight shipped
    6. Transportation container type and capacity
    7. If bagged - bag type, size, and number of bags
    8. Destination
    9. Name and address of carrier
    10. Transportation record number and date

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Lot Size

Shall be set by MCIA determined by program requirements. Check with MCIA office for specific lot sizes.

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Sampling procedures
  1. A representative sample shall be drawn from each lot of product.
  2. Sampling sites will be pre-determined by MCIA.
  3. Each facility must designate an individual responsible for submitting representative samples.
  4. Sample size is determined by program requirements. Check with MCIA for specific sample size requirements.
  5. In bagged lots, samples can be drawn from the last piece of equipment before the bags are sealed or probed after they are sealed.
  6. When probing bags, five bags plus 10% of the total number of bags in the lot must be sampled. No more than 36 bags need to be sampled, regardless of the size of the lot.
  7. Bulk lot samples shall be drawn as product enters final storage bin prior to labeling.
  8. If bagged, the following rules apply:
    a. New bags must be used.
    b. All bags in a given product lot must be of the same kind, size and net weight.
    c. All bags must be identified with a lot number.

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Labeling

  1. Each facility must designate an individual responsible for the proper use of the AOSCA IP™ logo.
  2. MCIA will provide IP documentation only for eligible product shipped from an approved IP grain handling facility.
  3. Labeling options include IP tags and certificates. Contact MCIA for labeling options.

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Provisional Approval

Facilities not meeting the equipment and storage requirements listed above may be granted Provisional Approval to handle an IP product, provided the following requirements are met:

  1. The facility must be inspected by a MCIA representative prior to handling IP product to verify that all provisional approval requirements have been met. Notify MCIA two weeks prior to desired inspection date.
  2. Prior to inspection, the facility manager must designate:
    a. The identity of the IP product to be handled
    b. The period of time in which it will be handled
    c. The equipment and storage facilities to be used in handling the product
    d. Facility maintenance and house keeping must be adequate to ensure that the quality and identity of the IP products handled is maintained at all times
    e. Prior to inspection, the equipment and storage areas must be cleaned thoroughly
    f. All requirements for record keeping, lot sizes, sampling, and labeling must be met
    g. A fee will be charged for each inspection
    h. An IP grain handler's agreement indicating the intention to comply with all IP grain handling
    requirements must be signed by the facility manager

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1900 Hendon Avenue, St. Paul MN 55108
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©2005 Minnesota Crop Improvement Association. All rights reserved.
Photos are courtesy of U of MN Agricultural Experiment Station and USDA NRCS.
This page was last updated on September 16, 2005 3:51 PM .