Planning is integral to the success of any grain farm, whether preparing for seeding or determining the best use of resources at harvest time.
The same holds true for on-farm grain storage, says Derek Johnson, regional sales director for AGI, one of the largest manufacturers of grain bins in Canada. He says planning for grain storage helps ensure the crop’s quality is properly preserved until it reaches buyers.
“When it comes to storage, next year starts now,” Johnson says. “We want to ensure that producers understand that, as a manufacturer, we’re manufacturing and building bins today that are going to be assembled on farms next summer.
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“Producers should begin the planning process now so that they’re not waiting until the last minute for storage. It’s not like buying seed or chemical. Storage is a long-term investment and it needs to be treated as such. It involves a plan and that planning needs to start early.”
Digvir Jayas agrees. He is a professor emeritus of biosystems engineering at the University of Manitoba who was recognized by Engineers Canada in 2022 with a gold medal for his work on finding better ways to dry and store grain.
Jayas says keeping grain in the best condition possible during storage season is critically important as it can have a huge impact on a farmer’s marketing efforts.
“If you don’t store it properly and you have that deterioration, the market to sell that grain is reduced,” says Jayas, who is also a member of the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame.
“The market is reduced to sell that grain because it can’t be used for the kind of products that (higher-grade) grain would be able to make or it would require a process adjustment or blending from other sources of grains, and it becomes more difficult to sell.
“If you store it properly, it’s much easier to market because your product is top-notch quality.”
Grainews asked Jayas and Johnston for grain storage tips. Here’s what they had to say.
Cool and dry
A key consideration is ensuring grain is kept cool and dry. Moisture content levels should not exceed 13 per cent for wheat or 12.5 per cent for barley during warmer-season months.
Storage temperatures should not typically exceed 20 C. Safe storage condition charts for most cereal crops are available via the Canadian Grain Commission.
Jayas says keeping stored grain cool is important because it “greatly increases the storage life of the grain and (helps) maintain quality longer” while reducing the chance of insect and mould problems.
A bin aeration fan can help in this effort. Jayas advises farmers to ensure the fan is properly sized for the bin in which it is installed. If capacity is too low, it may not dry the grain in the time available in the fall. He says fan size should be based on initial moisture content at harvest and the date of the harvest.
Johnson advises farmers to schedule regular monitoring of grain in bins and make it part of someone’s role on the farm.
That job has become much easier over the past decade, thanks to monitoring systems that can detect temperature and moisture levels within a bin. They send alerts to a computer or mobile device when warming or spoilage occurs and a fan can then be started remotely.
Most monitoring systems use cables that are inserted into grain and send feedback on what’s occurring during storage. Jayas recommends as many as five of these cables should be used within a bin — one in the centre and others in east-west and north-south directions between the centre and wall of the bin. This ensures all sections are properly monitored.
Farmers have a few options if they receive a spoilage warning from a monitoring system. They can turn on the fan to lower grain temperature and maintain it at a lower temperature until the problem is taken care of. If the problem appears to be in the centre of the bin, it may be resolved by removing that portion of the grain.
While monitors are standard in most newer large-capacity bins, many older, smaller bins don’t have sensors. Outside of physically checking each bin on a regular basis, Johnson recommends producers inspect the bin to see how much snow is on its roof in the winter.
“The old adage is, if there’s snow on the roof of the bin in the wintertime, you’re in a good spot,” he says. “Typically, if it’s warm in the bin and there is spoilage happening, it’s generating heat and it’s creating heat on the roof of the bin. If there was any snow, it would just melt off. If all the snow is melted off, you may want to check that bin.”
Insects
Temperatures in Western Canada are usually cool enough to kill insects that may find their way into storage bins during the winter. However, infestations can still occur the following year as temperatures climb in spring and summer.
In such a scenario, Jayas says farmers can use a chemical fumigant. Among the most common of those, phosphine can kill most pests within three to four days. He suggests farmers hire a licensed fumigator to apply it, since exposure can cause serious health complications.
Another option is compressed carbon dioxide in the form of dry ice or compressed gas, which can take seven to 10 days to kill insects.
Maintenance
Johnson says routine bin maintenance is often neglected or forgotten. A simple step is to remove potential hazards in and around grain bins early in the season so harvest can take place quickly and safely.
Aeration fans should also be regularly inspected and cleaned; rodents, small animals and insects can get into open units and create all sorts of problems. The same advice applies to grain dryers, especially if they’re not being used every year.
While grain augers are indispensable, they are often parked in fields for much of the year. Johnson recommends they be inspected before harvest each year to ensure they are greased, have motors in good working condition and belts properly tightened.
Bigger bins
Western Canada was once known as the hopper bin capital of the world, in part because so many different crops require segregation.
That has changed as farms have grown larger and now produce more bushels of the same crops. As a result, many farmers have moved to larger, flat-bottom storage structures. These newer bins measure 36 to 54 feet in diameter and have storage capacities of 25,000 to 72,000 bushels.
While these newer bins offer an assortment of bells and whistles, the general maintenance requirements are the same, according to Johnson. He says farmers should make it a priority to conduct periodic inspections of the rooftop area to confirm it is free of debris and operating properly, including the filler cap.
“We get a lot of wind in Western Canada and in some cases the wind can pull open those caps,” he says. “Farmers want to make sure they definitely take a look at the springs on their filler caps to ensure that they’re in good working order on those larger bins.”
Cleaning
Jayas and Johnson both stress the importance of cleaning bins before storing new grain.
Jayas says cleaning a storage structure is important because insects can survive in debris and leftover grain, then re-infest new grain.
Johnson says most newer flat-bottom bins are “fairly self-cleaning.” They often require only a quick sweep inside if they’re being used to store the same crop in consecutive years.
However, he says, they require more significant cleaning if they are being used to store a different crop from the one held previously. That’s especially true for seed growers, who should do a detailed cleaning inside.
Helpful advice
Johnson has one final piece of advice when it comes to grain storage: don’t be afraid to ask for help.
“Utilizing the support that’s out there is important. We have many folks in Western Canada on our AGI team that are experts when it comes to aeration and grain drying. Those people need to be leaned on for advice throughout the year. Reach out for help if you have questions.”
