Equipment
Approved Equipment
- Approved Equipment List A (PDF; 114KB) - Active Commercially Available Items
- Approved Equipment List B (PDF; 114KB) - InActive Items, but OK for use
Moisture Equipment
Implementation of the Unified Grain Moisture Algorithm (UGMA)-based technology for corn and other major fall crops beginning in September 2012 is an important step for the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA), Federal Grain Inspection Service (FGIS) in achieving its primary objective under the U.S. Grain Standards Act to 'certify the quality of grain as accurately as practical' as well as provide accurate information on storability, economic value and product yield. (7 U.S.C. Sec. 74(b)(2) and (b)(3)(B), (C), and (E)). Moisture meters are used to determine the amount of moisture within grain presented for sale, a critical assessment of quality that affects the value and storability of the grain. GIPSA conducted research for refining moisture measurement of grain with the intention of replacing the Grain Analysis Computer (GAC 2100). To do so, GIPSA developed the UGMA. The new UGMA-based instruments measure moisture in grain much more accurately. Consequently, the Grain Inspection Advisory Committee (GIAC), representatives of the grain marketing industry who advise GIPSA on program issues, recommended that GIPSA implement the new technology, and recommended its implementation be accelerated by a year.
The implementation of the new UGMA moisture meters for Official tests of corn, soybeans, sorghum, and sunflower occurred September 10, 2012. The Perten AM 5200-A and the Dickey-john GAC 2500UGMA replaced the Dickey-john GAC 2100 as the approved moisture meter models for those grains. FGIS commends Perten Instruments and Official Service Providers for working closely with FGIS to re-verify the performance of AM-5200A instruments and successfully correct the few problems that were identified during the short delay of the implementation. The transition to the new UGMA moisture meters for Official tests of all other commodities will be on May 1, 2013. GIPSA has established a dedicated e-mail account for questions on the UGMA-Compatible moisture meters, which is located at the bottom of this Page and is located here: UGMA-QA@usda.gov.
Current Official Moisture Meters for Corn, Soybeans, Sorghum, and Sunflower Seed
- Dickey-john GAC 2500UGMA
- Perten AM 5200-A
Current Official Moisture Meter for Other Commodities
- Dickey-john GAC 2100
Technical Reference Materials
- UGMA Criteria Document (PDF; 127KB)
- UGMA Criteria Attachment A (PDF; 149KB)
- UGMA Recipe Book (Updated 11-15-2012) (PDF; 777KB)
- Scientific Publications
- UGMA Development Overview (IQGC 2004) (PDF; 587KB)
- UGMA Development Report 2006 (MST 2006) (PDF; 1234KB)
- UGMA Effects of Test Cell Loading Methods (ISEMA 2011) (PDF; 2542KB)
- UGMA First Research Report (GIPSA 2001) (PDF; 2070KB)
- UGMA Secondary Density Correction (ISEMA 2011) (PDF; 264KB)
- UGMA Unified Parameter Development (IQGC 2004) (PDF; 3765KB)
- UGMA-Compatible Moisture Meter Checktesting Procedures, Attachments A and B (July 2012) (PDF; 435KB)
- UGMA-Compatible Moisture Meter Checktesting Procedures, Attachment C (XLS; 110KB)
- Frequently Asked Questions (Updated 08/28/2012) (PDF; 194KB)
- UGMA-Compatible Moisture Meters – Detailed Commodity Implementation Schedule (Updated 06/8/2012) (PDF; 84KB)
- UGMA Technology Overview - NAEGA-GIPSA Regional Meeting 4-24-2012 (PDF; 514KB)
- FGIS Distribution of UGMA-Compatible Moisture Meters for FGIS Use (updated 5-17-2012)(PDF; 55KB)
Submit Your Question to UGMA-QA@usda.gov