2025/2026CORN EXPORT CARGOQUALITY REPORT Developing a report of this scope and breadth in a timely manner requiresparticipation by several individuals and organizations. The U.S. Grains &BioProducts Council is grateful to Steve Hofing, Lee Singleton, Lisa Eckel,Dee Ann Hoffman and Erin Krannawitter of Centrec Consulting Group, LLC(Centrec) for their oversight and coordination in developing this report. A teamof experts provided analysis and writing support. External team membersinclude Drs. Lowell Hill, Marvin Paulsen and Tom Whitaker. In addition, theCouncil is indebted to the Illinois Crop Improvement Association’s IdentityPreserved Grain Laboratory (IPG Lab) and Champaign-Danville GrainInspection (CDGI) for providing the corn quality testing services. In particular, we acknowledge the irreplaceable services of the FederalGrain Inspection Service (FGIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.FGIS provided samples from export cargoes. The FGIS Office ofInternational Affairs coordinated the sampling process. FGIS field staff,the Washington State Department of Agriculture and FGIS-designateddomestic official service providers collected and submitted the samplesthat constitute the foundation of this report. We are grateful for the timethey devoted during their busy season. As a USDA programs participant, the U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council iscommitted to complying with non-discrimination policies from federal, state andlocal civil rights laws and those of the USDA. Visit the USDA website page(https://www.usda.gov/non-discrimination-statement) for details. Greetings from the CouncilExport Cargo Quality HighlightsIntroduction 6Quality Test Results A.Grade Factors..................................................................................................6B.Chemical Composition...................................................................................19C.Physical Factors............................................................................................29D.Mycotoxins.....................................................................................................48 59U.S. Corn Export System A.U.S. Corn Export Flow...................................................................................60B.Impact of the Corn Marketing Channel on Quality.........................................61C.U.S. Government Inspection and Grading.....................................................63 A.Overview........................................................................................................65B.Survey Design and Sampling........................................................................66C.Statistical Analysis.........................................................................................71 72Testing Analysis Methods A.Grade Factors................................................................................................72B.Chemical Composition...................................................................................73C.Physical Factors............................................................................................74D.Mycotoxins.....................................................................................................75 77Historical Perspective85U.S. Corn Supporting InformationBCUSGBC Contact Information The U.S. Grains & BioProducts Council (USGBC) is pleased to present findingsfrom its fifteenth annual corn quality survey in this2025/2026 Corn Export CargoQuality Report. The Council is committed to furthering global food security and mutual economicbenefit through trade. In doing so, it offers this report to assist buyers in makingwell-informed decisions by providing reliable and timely information about thequality of U.S. corn destined for export. TheCorn Export Cargo Quality Reportis the second of two reports releasedannually by the Council detailing the quality of the 2025 corn crop. The reportis based on samples taken at the point of loading for international shipmentearly in the 2025/2026 marketing year. This report and its sister report, the2025/2026 Corn Harvest Quality Report, provide an early look at the gradefactors established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as well as chemicalcomposition and other quality characteristics not reported elsewhere. This seriesof quality reports uses a consistent and transparent methodology to allow forinsightful comparisons across time. The Council is pleased to offer this report as a service to our valued tradingpartners. It serves as a means of fulfilling the Council’s mission of developingmarkets, enabling trade and improving lives. Mark WilsonChairman, U.S. Grains & BioProducts CouncilMarch 2026 The 2025 U.S. corn crop experienced generally favorable weather conditions throughoutits development, which contributed to its projected record average yield and good grainquality. Reflecting this impact, the average aggregate quality of the corn samples testedfor the2025/2