| 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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