Strengthening Grain Trade with Traceability at NGFA: How Digital Verification Can Unlock New Value

Earlier this week, leaders from Cultura Technologies and CreditCrop, a Cultura company, traveled to the 130th NGFA Annual Convention in Nashville, TN.

As industry leaders gather for the conference, one conversation is already gaining momentum: how the grain trade can evolve to meet rising expectations for traceability, digital verification, and data-driven market alignment. Among the most anticipated topics is a new proposal within the NGFA transportation community that could help shape the next era of grain movement and documentation.

For more than a century, the U.S. grain trade has relied on shared definitions and delivery terms to ensure trust, clarity, and efficiency. After all, grain is one of the most sophisticated agricultural supply chains in the world. It supports billions of bushels moving reliably from producers to processors. 

Now, agricultural markets are changing, and new expectations accompany these changes.  

CreditCrop, a Cultura company, knows first-hand that buyers need more than the physical delivery of grain. They need real verified documentation that shows how the grain was produced, handled, transported, and tracked at every stage of its journey. From sustainable fuels to identity-preserved crops, emerging markets depend on digital verification embedded directly into the commodity itself. 

Now, a proposal under active discussion among leaders within the National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) transportation community could help the industry meet that demand. 

Introducing a New Trade Concept: Delivered Certified 

The proposal introduces an additional transportation specification within the NGFA Grain and Feed Trade Rules. In practice, it would modernize delivery documentation by attaching certified digital records to the bill of lading. These records would verify key attributes of transportation including: 

-Detailed route verification 

-GPS/geolocation data aligned to the shipment 

-Truck seal or identity-preserved load confirmation 

-Documentation tied to carbon intensity or sustainability requirements 

Though it may sound highly technical, its purpose is simple: formalize how verified digital information moves with the grain. According to Jay Weber, Director of Industry at CreditCrop, the change reflects where markets are heading. 

“Transportation has always been the connector of agricultural markets. What this proposal does is surface the digital chain of custody so it can support the new markets emerging across agriculture.” 

Why Traceability Matters Today  

Agricultural markets increasingly rely on verifiable data to enable new forms of value creation. 

Emerging and expanding markets now require transparent, verified documentation across the supply chain, including low-carbon fuel markets (such as 45Z tax credit programs), sustainable agriculture initiatives, identity-preserved grain contracts, food supply chains, and regenerative agriculture programs. Without reliable transportation verification, these markets struggle to maintain the attributes tied to premiums, compliance, or differentiation. By using a Delivered Certified framework, there is more transparency within the supply chain.  

Jeff Schreiner, SVP of Global Collaboration at Cultura, describes this shift to DECs (Data Enriched Commodities): 

“For decades we used technology to make commodity trading more efficient. Now technology can actually expand the value of the commodity itself. When trusted data travels with the grain, entirely new markets become possible.” 

Looking Ahead with NGFA  

The Delivered Certified concept remains under discussion within NGFA’s leadership. But its emergence reflects a broader and accelerating shift across agriculture: data is becoming as important as the commodity itself. 

As markets evolve toward traceability, sustainability, and digital chain-of-custody, the ability to move verified information seamlessly alongside the grain will shape how value is created, protected, and traded. In short, it provides a path to integrate digital verification into everyday grain transactions—without disrupting the efficiency the industry depends on.

Jay Weber 
CreditCrop, Director of Industry 

Jeff Schreiner 
SVP of Global Collaboration