Take Five – February 12, 2026

The AAI Grain Grading Workshops provide hands-on experience for identifying what is, and what is not, considered grain damage by the Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS). Participants will spend half of the workshop focused on corn and the other half focused on soybeans.

The workshops are led by an FGIS employee from Kansas City who will briefly explain how official grain grading works along with the mechanisms involved before leading the participants through the various grain damage FGIS is looking for and the implications on the grade of the grain.

The majority of the workshop will be dedicated to hands-on work with grain samples that contain various types of damage and learning to identify specific damage types. Some of the damage training includes: broken or split grain, odor, insect damage, various molds, cob rot, germ damage, heat damage, etc. Participants also learn official criteria for calculating a grade designation and experience calculating that designation.

The same workshop is held on both days - participants only need to attend one session.