Recently in grain storage Category
When's the last time you checked all your canola bins? The Canola Council of Canada reminds you to get out there and do it now. And, yes, that means every bin and a thorough check — not just a poke in around the door or roof hatch (but that's a start).
Canola that went in the bin with high green counts, high dockage, a little moist or any combination of these factors can and will heat, given the right conditions. The larger the bin the higher risk of undetected pockets of spoilage ruining your hard-earned production. The council reports farmers losing entire bins to heating and spoilage; don't be one of them.
The cold winter months do keep bins relatively stable, however warming trends and the increase in sunlight creates warming fronts in the bin. For clean, dry canola bins, that's not a problem, but for those at risk of heating, temperature fluctuations can accelerate spoilage at a surprising rate.
What can you do? Get out and check each bin by removing at least a third of the volume. Only probing at doors or hatches won't give an accurate measure of what's happening at the center or sides of a bin. If you already have a sense of which bins are at risk, check those first — it may be prudent to turn the entire bin. With canola prices where they are, it's no exaggeration to say that even a significant investment of time and energy could save you thousands of dollars.
Canola that went in the bin with high green counts, high dockage, a little moist or any combination of these factors can and will heat, given the right conditions. The larger the bin the higher risk of undetected pockets of spoilage ruining your hard-earned production. The council reports farmers losing entire bins to heating and spoilage; don't be one of them.
The cold winter months do keep bins relatively stable, however warming trends and the increase in sunlight creates warming fronts in the bin. For clean, dry canola bins, that's not a problem, but for those at risk of heating, temperature fluctuations can accelerate spoilage at a surprising rate.
What can you do? Get out and check each bin by removing at least a third of the volume. Only probing at doors or hatches won't give an accurate measure of what's happening at the center or sides of a bin. If you already have a sense of which bins are at risk, check those first — it may be prudent to turn the entire bin. With canola prices where they are, it's no exaggeration to say that even a significant investment of time and energy could save you thousands of dollars.
There's nothing worse than devoting time, energy and money to something only to have it ruined by a completely preventable occurrence. In this case, I'm talking about crops heating in the bin and diseased seed ending up in the ground without a seed treatment.
Sure, turning, aerating or drying grain also takes some time, energy and money, but after all the work you put in to growing the darn crop, it'd be a shame to lose a portion of it in storage.
All crops can spoil, even ones that went in dry, and fall isn't the only time to watch for heating either. The Canola Council recently put out the call to farmers to get back out there and check their bins; a very warm April is causing heating problems, even in canola that went into the winter dry. Bins with higher than ideal moisture, very large bins or bins with high dockage are at even higher risk.
Do yourself a favour and make the rounds today. If you've got fans, you might just need to turn them on for a spell. Breaking up any hot spots or compacted areas can also be done by removing about a third of the grain then replacing it up top. Rinse and repeat as necessary.
And while we're on the topic of investment protection, let's talk about seed treating. I know it's pretty common practice, and that's good, but unless you test or treat 100% of seed lots (does anyone?), there's a risk of seedling disease. For a very graphic display of the difference a seed treatment can make, check out this seven-day time lapse video on Bayer CropScience's website.
The reduced germination, vigour and survival rates of diseased, untreated seed is significant. If you're going to spend all that time, energy and money putting a crop in the ground, a seed treatment is simply affordable insurance.
Sure, turning, aerating or drying grain also takes some time, energy and money, but after all the work you put in to growing the darn crop, it'd be a shame to lose a portion of it in storage.
All crops can spoil, even ones that went in dry, and fall isn't the only time to watch for heating either. The Canola Council recently put out the call to farmers to get back out there and check their bins; a very warm April is causing heating problems, even in canola that went into the winter dry. Bins with higher than ideal moisture, very large bins or bins with high dockage are at even higher risk.
Do yourself a favour and make the rounds today. If you've got fans, you might just need to turn them on for a spell. Breaking up any hot spots or compacted areas can also be done by removing about a third of the grain then replacing it up top. Rinse and repeat as necessary.
And while we're on the topic of investment protection, let's talk about seed treating. I know it's pretty common practice, and that's good, but unless you test or treat 100% of seed lots (does anyone?), there's a risk of seedling disease. For a very graphic display of the difference a seed treatment can make, check out this seven-day time lapse video on Bayer CropScience's website.
The reduced germination, vigour and survival rates of diseased, untreated seed is significant. If you're going to spend all that time, energy and money putting a crop in the ground, a seed treatment is simply affordable insurance.
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Grainews editor Lyndsey Smith answers readers' questions, asks her own and, now and then, discusses what's new and interesting in western Canadian production agriculture.
