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Monday, June 15, 2026
Photos: Grain inspection at the Port of Duluth-Superior
Changing Great Lakes shipping flows have led to a decline in inspection fees paid by shippers, making it challenging for the state of Wisconsin to keep its inspection program going. Other states have experienced similar challenges.
Robert Moore, the manager of the Grain Inspection Service at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, analyzes a wheat kernel during a grain inspection demonstration at the agency's facility in Superior. (Noah Wicks photo)
Bags containing wheat samples in storage at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection's grain inspection facility in Superior. (Photo by Noah Wicks).
Robert Moore, the manager of the Grain Inspection Service at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, explains how wheat samples tested at the site are labeled. (Photo by Noah Wicks).
Robert Moore, the manager of the Grain Inspection Service at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, pours wheat into a grain divider during an inspection demonstration at the agency's facility in Superior. (Photo by Noah Wicks).
A tub of wheat and a set of tools used to inspect it at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection's facility in Superior. (Photo by Noah Wicks).
Robert Moore, the manager of the Grain Inspection Service at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, uses a tweezer to analyze a wheat kernel during a grain inspection demonstration at the agency's facility in Superior. (Photo by Noah Wicks).
Wheat being run through a dockage tester spills into a tray during a grain testing demonstration. (Photo by Noah Wicks).
Robert Moore, the manager of the Grain Inspection Service at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, drops wheat kernels into a pan during an inspection demonstration at the agency's facility in Superior. (Photo by Noah Wicks).
Grain samples and testing materials line a shelf at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection's grain inspection facility in Superior. (Photo by Noah Wicks).
Robert Moore, the manager of the Grain Inspection Service at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, explains how a dockage tester works during a grain inspection demonstration at the agency's facility in Superior. (Photo by Noah Wicks).
A wheat sample sits atop a scale at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection's grain inspection facility in Superior. (Photo by Noah Wicks).
A wheat sample sits atop a scale at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection's grain inspection facility in Superior. (Photo by Noah Wicks).