North Dakota Grain Inspection

What North Dakota Grain Inspection does

North Dakota Grain Inspection Service, Inc. (NDGI) is the largest agency in the United States federally licensed to sample and grade grain under the United States Grain Standards Act and the Agricultural Marketing Act. Founded in 1968 in Fargo, North Dakota by Steve Adams and still owned by the founder's family, NDGI provides official inspection and grading services for over 15 commodities — including wheat, corn, soybeans, sunflowers, canola, flax, buckwheat, edible beans, peas, lentils, barley, oats, rye, millet, triticale, and crambe — across nine states (North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, with presence in Montana and Kentucky). The company serves grain elevators and merchandisers, agricultural producers/growers, processing facilities (ethanol, milling), and transportation/logistics operations, delivering on-site field inspections at rail, truck, barge, and container facilities. Customers include named enterprises such as Alton Grain Terminal, Arthur Companies, Maple River Grain & Agronomy, Tharaldson Ethanol, Siemer Milling, and the Minneapolis Grain Exchange.

NDGI's operational technology is centered on federally compliant laboratory equipment for quality testing (Test Weight, Moisture, Dockage, Damage, BCFM, DKT, Aflatoxin, Vomitoxin, Fumonisin, Protein, Oil, Falling Number, and specialized tests including BT Corn, Starlink, and Waxy Corn) and on satellite laboratory setups at customer facilities that maintain the same quality control standards as the primary Fargo laboratory. The proprietary Grain Inspection Assistant (GIA) web portal and iPhone application, developed with technology partner AdamsNet, automates service request intake, provides real-time visibility into request status and inspector drive times, and integrates with NDGI's internal desktop management system.

The business model is transaction-based: NDGI charges per-inspection or per-test fees under published USGSA and AMA fee schedules, with service requests initiated via phone, email, text, or the GIA platform. The company has grown from three employees in 1968 to over 200 employees as of 2024, expanding primarily through acquisition (notably Southern Illinois Grain Inspection in 1999) and organic buildout. NDGI remains a privately held, family-owned enterprise with no disclosed institutional capital or public listing.

Name

North Dakota Grain Inspection

Legal name

North Dakota Grain Inspection Service, Inc.

Website

https://graininspection.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

North Dakota Grain Inspection Service, Inc. (NDGI) is the largest US federally licensed agency providing official grain sampling, grading, and quality testing under the USGSA and AMA. Founded in 1968 and family-owned, NDGI serves grain elevators, processors, and producers across nine states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Grain Inspection Services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYAFAOAMAJ

Laboratory Analysis Services (Wet Chemistry, Microbiology for Grains)

Agriculture & Food Production/Post-Harvest Handling & Storage (Grain Elevators, Silos, Cold Storage)/Quality Control Services (Grain Grading & Testing)

SECONDARYAFAOAMAH

Rapid On-Site Testing Services (Portable/NIR Screening)

Agriculture & Food Production/Post-Harvest Handling & Storage (Grain Elevators, Silos, Cold Storage)/Quality Control Services (Grain Grading & Testing)

SECONDARYAFAOAMAE

Falling Number, Milling/Baking & End-Use Functionality Testing

Agriculture & Food Production/Post-Harvest Handling & Storage (Grain Elevators, Silos, Cold Storage)/Quality Control Services (Grain Grading & Testing)

Keywords

• Grain inspection services
• Official grain grading
• Agricultural commodity testing
• USDA-licensed sampling
• Grain quality analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Fargo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices15 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grain Inspection Services: NDGI charges fees for official sampling and grading of grain under the United States Grain Standards Act and Agricultural Marketing Act. Services include railcar inspection, truck inspection, barge inspection, and container inspection. Fees are charged per inspection, per test, or per service request based on commodity type and testing requirements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

North Dakota Grain Inspection, Inc. (NDGI) is a federally designated official inspection agency providing grain sampling, grading, weighing, and quality testing services under the United States Grain Standards Act (USGSA) and the Agricultural Marketing Act (AMA). The company inspects 15+ commodities—including wheat, corn, soybeans, barley, oats, rye, sorghum, durum, and pulses—across nine U.S. states, operating from a network of satellite laboratories. It complements these official inspection services with the proprietary Grain Inspection Assistant (GIA) digital platform for ordering and tracking services.

Product overview

North Dakota Grain Inspection Services, Inc. (NDGI) operates as a federally licensed grain inspection agency providing official sampling and grading services under the United States Grain Standards Act and Agricultural Marketing Act. The company offers two core products: (1) Grain Inspection Assistant (GIA), a proprietary web portal and iPhone app for service request management, and (2) comprehensive grain inspection services for over 15 commodities including wheat, corn, soybeans, sunflowers, canola, barley, oats, rye, flax, buckwheat, edible beans, peas, lentils, millet, and triticale. The GIA platform enables customers to submit service requests that automatically notify managers and integrate with NDGI's internal desktop management system. Inspection services include standard grade determinations, moisture testing, protein analysis, mycotoxin screening (vomitoxin, aflatoxin, fumonisin), and specialized tests such as BT Corn, Starlink, Waxy Corn, and Falling Number across multiple service locations in nine states.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Grain Inspection Assistant (GIA): iPhone app and web portal developed by NDGI for requesting on-site grading and sampling services, with automatic notifications to managers.

Products and services

• NDGI Licensed Grain Inspection
• Agricultural Marketing Act (AMA) Commodity Inspection
• Grain Inspection Assistant (GIA)

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AdamsNetcoreTechnology or IntegrationAdamsNet developed and maintains the Grain Inspection Assistant (GIA) web portal and iPhone application used by NDGI customers to request services, track requests, and monitor inspection status. The partnership provides NDGI's digital service request infrastructure.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Kansas Grain Inspection Service: Federally designated grain inspection agency providing official sampling and grading services in Kansas under USGSA. Directly comparable to NDGI as another state-level official inspection agency operating under the same federal regulatory framework with similar fee-based service model.
• Iowa Grain Inspection: Federally licensed grain inspection service operating in Iowa, providing official sampling and grading under USGSA. Direct competitor in adjacent Midwest grain-producing states with comparable service offering and customer base of elevators, processors, and merchandisers.
• Faribault Grain Inspection: Minnesota-based federally designated grain inspection agency providing official sampling and testing services. Geographic peer in NDGI's home territory (ND/MN) offering the same USGSA-authorized services to grain elevators and processors.
• Titus Grain Inspection: Indiana-based federally licensed grain inspection agency providing official USGSA sampling and grading services. Direct competitor in the Eastern Corn Belt where NDGI has expanded its Ohio, Indiana, and Michigan operations.
• Enid Grain Inspection: Oklahoma-based federally designated grain inspection service operating under USGSA. Comparable regional inspection agency with similar fee structure and customer base in grain elevators, processors, and merchandisers.
• Omaha Grain Inspection Service: Nebraska-based federally licensed grain inspection agency providing official sampling and grading services under USGSA. Geographic peer in adjacent Midwest grain territory with comparable commodity coverage including corn, soybeans, and wheat.

Broad incumbents

• SGS Agricultural Services: Global testing, inspection, and certification giant providing agricultural commodity inspection and quality verification services worldwide. Operates broader portfolio of inspection services but competes with NDGI in grain quality testing at elevators and processors.
• Bureau Veritas Agricultural Services: International testing and certification company providing commodity inspection services for grains and agricultural products. Larger incumbent offering broader service portfolio including cargo inspection at ports, where it overlaps with NDGI's container inspection capabilities.
• Eurofins Grain Testing Services: International laboratory testing network providing agricultural commodity testing including mycotoxin screening, protein analysis, and grain quality verification. Competes with NDGI on specialized laboratory testing services for grain elevators and processors, particularly in commodity certification.

Regional players

• Cargill Agricultural Supply Chain: Major grain merchandiser and processor operating extensive grain handling infrastructure across the US Midwest. While not a direct competitor to NDGI, Cargill is both a major customer of third-party inspection services and operates internal quality control for its own operations, creating adjacent positioning to NDGI's services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North Dakota Grain Inspection