| Grain
Grain storage : Ensure that you ’ re prepared
With harvest on the horizon , undertaking thorough store preparations is vital in order to maintain grain quality and meet market specifications . Good storage practices will help to reduce the risk of grain spoilage , and prevent a loss of premiums through claims and rejections .
P reparing – Clean , ask , check Good store hygiene is essential for eliminating fungi , insects and mites . Stores should be cleaned thoroughly before intake , using an industrial vacuum and food-approved disinfectant or sanitiser .
If you are using multipurpose or rented buildings , chemical residues that pose a contamination risk to grain may be present . They may permeate building materials and persist for some time . Ask about the store ’ s history and take samples of the building fabric to test for residues . Chlorpropham ( CIPC ) is one such chemical agent that is used for storage of potatoes . Any store in which CIPC treatments have taken place may not be suitable for the future storage of crops where no approval for the use of CIPC exists , including cereals .
Make sure that the store is both weatherproof and well-ventilated . Check and , where needed , repair the roof and guttering , ensure doors are well sealed , and that the whole store is sufficiently sealed against rodent and bird entry
Place insect traps in corners and at wall / floor junctions every 4-5 metres around the store and check them weekly . If insects or mites are found , pinpoint the source of the infestation
22 | Farming Monthly | July 2017 and use additional hygiene measures . If pests are persistent or widespread , consider using an approved pesticide on the fabric of the building . Pest products currently approved for use in the UK as either structural treatments or treatments of grain can be found at www . hse . gov . uk / pesticides / Storage – sample , monitor , protect Sampling to determine moisture content is key to safe grain storage . Lower temperatures and moisture content can reduce fungal growth , mycotoxin production , and insect and mite development .
Determine moisture content and temperature immediately after harvesting with a calibrated meter . Monitor temperatures regularly at the same spot , which should be where the cooling takes longest , i . e . the furthest point from the cooling source . Moisture should be monitored at several locations ( which should be the same each time ) and recorded at least once each month during winter .
Early detection of insects and mites is important to prevent rising populations . Traps have been shown to be more effective than sampling for detecting populations at a low level . Monitor traps weekly until the grain reaches the target temperature ( 50 C ) then continue to monitor monthly until temperatures begin to rise in the spring , when increased insect activity means that weekly monitoring will need to be resumed .
Always use secure , commercially approved rodent bait boxes and ensure that vermin bait cannot contaminate stored grain . Place bait boxes outside the store not inside , to avoid encouraging vermin to enter the store . A rodent control guide can be found at https :// cereals . ahdb . org . uk / media /.../ g70- rodent-control-on-farms . pdf . Key features of a good grain store A good grain store : is clean is dry is well-ventilated has shatterproof covers for lights , and shatter-resistant lightbulbs has correctly functioning and well-cleaned equipment is proofed against rodent and bird entry has a watertight roof with no leaks or broken guttering has no contaminants is secure . AHDB has a regularly-updated Grain Storage Guide , available as part of the Harvest Toolkit at cereals . ahdb . org . uk / harvesttoolkit . This provides a one-stop resource for information on best storage practice .
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