About AAWCO: History

History

Association of American Warehouse Control Officials (AAWCO) is a service organization of people dedicated to serving state, federal and provincial governments, warehousemen and producers alike in the advancement of good relations. Giant strides forward have been made by this organization since its inception in 1939.

The Association is a voluntary organization and serves as a conference body of agricultural warehouse control officials for the study and solution of mutual problems involving the industry served.

Annual conferences are held for the exchange of information among members and affected industries. The Association acts as a clearing house for the collection and dissemination of information regarding present and proposed legislation affecting the Agricultural Warehouse and Commodities Dealer laws and their administration. It is the purpose of the Association to promote and attain more uniformity between regulatory agencies.

The Association is an affiliate member of NASDA. The Association offers affiliate membership to any person having a mutual interest in the purchase and storage of agricultural commodities. Such affiliate member may participate in all discussions and business of the Association but carry no vote on business matters.

The Association has various standing committees that function throughout the year. For the past several years, the committees have met in the spring prior to the annual conference. This meeting has been termed the Annual Spring Committee Meeting.

The spring committee meeting is normally held in the Midwest for economic reasons with the annual conference being rotated among all member states. Officers are selected from different geographical locations to give the Association a broad base of expertise.

Many members have an Agricultural Warehouse law and some have an Agricultural Commodities Dealer law.

Several also have a Moisture Meter Testing law and/or a Grain Inspection and Weighing law.

Some members also have established a Warehouse or Grain Indemnity Fund.

The Association has authored both Model Agricultural Warehouse and Agricultural Commodities Dealer laws.

The Association, through its members, stands ready to assist any regulatory agency in the development or revision of an Agricultural Warehouse or Commodities Dealer law, a Moisture Meter Testing law, a Grain Inspection and Weighing law or an Indemnity Fund.

Upon request, the Association will send a member or members to offer technical advice and assistance in the promotion of appropriate legislation or in the drafting of proposals for new laws.

Through the efforts of the Association, members are constantly updating their laws, regulations and auditing procedures to insure that depositors, producers, lending institutions and bonding companies have the best protection and service available.

The Association has initiated meetings with federal officials in an attempt to clarify and promote standard operating procedures and requirements for examinations and to negotiate payment for examinations performed under cooperative agreements.

The Association has been outspoken in support of, or in opposition to, federal policy or legislation.

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