High commodity prices and a strong winter shipping season have drawn out much of 2007’s harvested grain and oilseed inventory.
But what is left needs to be physically protected from nature.
Warming spring temperatures and the sun’s increased heat have started an air flow pattern within grain bins.
As air moves up the sun-warmed sidewalls of the bin, it draws from the cold lower centre of the structure.
In turn, the warmed air at the top of the bin is drawn down into the cold heart of the stored grain.
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Moisture in that air condenses in this cold material, concentrating water there before the whole bin is warmed up. Commodities at the centre of the bin absorb the moisture, creating opportunities for disease and insect damage.
“This year, with prices this high, getting out early and protecting that $16 (per bushel) grain shouldn’t be a tough choice,” said Blaine Timlick, who manages the Canadian Grain Commission’s grain sanitation program.
Timlick said producers often look at the quality of their crop going into the bin, but in the rush to prepare for spring seeding they might overlook inventory management.
“Even grain that goes into fall storage very dry can be affected,” he said.
David Vanthuyne of the Canola Council of Canada agreed producers should deal with the threat to both their commercial grain and their stored seed.
“Quality loss like this is one of those things that just doesn’t need to happen. You go to all the trouble of getting the crop this far and then you let something avoidable occur,” he said.
“A 4,000 bu. bin is worth more than $50,000. It’s worth taking the time to manage that resource,” said the Watrous, Sask., agrologist.
So far crop exported this winter has shown few signs of insect or heating damage. However, Timlick said the risks in Western Canada remain high.
He said it has been a good year so far with few incidents of heated or infested grain, however prairie producers often forget the advantage they have over their North American counterparts.
“If you are grain farming in Oklahoma, you can count on having your product fumigated seven times between harvest and when they load onto a ship in New Orleans. In Saskatchewan grain shipped out of B.C. ports, the average is 0.7 times,” said the Winnipeg entomologist.
“Not having as much of a problem doesn’t mean we can’t have problems. What it does mean is that we don’t have the producers’ awareness of how serious it can be,” he said of damage from moisture and insects such as the rusty grain beetle.
Vanthuyne said the easiest way to avoid spring moisture damage is to begin aeration when daytime temperatures increase.
If the storage bin doesn’t include aeration, then the next best approach is to pull about 30 percent of the grain out and circulate it back into the bin, added Timlick. While not as effective as aeration, this will balance the temperature and the moisture.
“And keep the top of the grain in that bin as flat as possible. The cone at the top is a great place to start a serious problem. That goes the same for aerated bins as those without air,” he said.
Both said the larger the bin, the greater the risk of damage due to the insulating nature of grain or oilseeds.
Large bins can hold fall heat in their core until nearly spring, when the process reverses.
