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The importance of grain store management
This year we've continued to see an elevated amount of storage challenges across the industry, a problem faced by both farmers and professional stores alike.
Last year's harvest was a mixed affair depending on your geographical location, but most experienced a very catchy harvest with varying bulks being presented to stores.
In a lot of scenarios this meant putting product into store that covered many variables (dried, not dried, hot, cool, lower quality, ad-mix etc). For storekeepers, this once again meant that bringing the bulks down in a quick, efficient and consistent manner also put a strain on store equipment.
Looking at the crop that is destined for harvest this summer, the words 'variable quality' probably don't do the challenge facing farm and commercial stores justice. On top of this, there may be some stores which aren't fully emptied ahead of harvest.
Prepare and manage your store
Just like creating a stale seedbed to give a crop a good start, the need to ensure your store is cleaned down and the fabric treated with a suitable store treatment is key to safeguarding quality. This year, yields are under pressure and the need to ensure that anything in store is kept safe and its quality maintained is as importance as ever. You have invested a lot during the autumn and spring to give your crop the best chance of maximising yield potential and to see it compromised by poor storage conditions is sometimes akin to building a house but forgetting to put the roof on!
If considering combining crop years, take some time to really considered whether or not this is the right thing to do. There are many risks associated with this approach, the highest being that not enough even airflow can travel through bulks that have large temperature differentials due to one part being stable and the other being unbalanced as it comes off the field/dryer. This is where a Frontier store can offer help, we have the ability either to handle the old or new crop to ensure that what is stored is not put at risk.
I mentioned last year that Paul Fogg, Frontier's crop production technical lead, wrote this blog about how to get your grain store ready before harvest. In it he focuses on the significance of pest and rodent control, as well as how you can work towards a good store hygiene plan. I encourage you to take the time to read it, as it includes the key steps to take to achieve an 'up-to-standard' grain store.
Once you're happy with your grain store, it all comes down to maintenance. I wrote a previous blog about the steps we at Frontier take to ensure grain is handled and stored in a safe and professional manner. I recommend you go by the same approach as you'll be able to meet any requirements that the government or authority regulators have set. You can read it here.
The main point for this year is if grain has a high moisture content (in comparison to the safe storage limits) and isn't dealt with in a timely manner, this can cause several quality issues. This could be deterioration of quality parameters such as oil content and germination, but it also can lead to the increase of other issues such as mould and the development of mycotoxins. The Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB) have a safe storage time calculator which helps you stay on top of drying and cooling at harvest.
Don't have space for your grain? We can help
Frontier is the UK's largest grain storekeeper, with 80% of arable farmers located within 40 miles of one of our storage facilities. We have a network of locations nationwide, with capacity to store a range of commodities and can offer you a variety of marketing options and movement solutions.
If you are looking for additional grain storage this season, we can help. Find out more here.
The importance of grain sampling
Self-sampling your grain is the best way to get a sound understanding of what is in your store and therefore how best to market it. Taking incremental samples from each load as it comes into your store or off the drier is the safest, most efficient and accurate method.
If you're using one of our grain stores, we conduct an industry-approved method to ensure that a fair sample is taken from each lorry on the weighbridge. This helps to form representative samples, which our sampling teams can then collect and take for analysis.
Once grain sample results become available, they can be accessed via our online platform, MyFarm, which is free to all Frontier customers.
Over the past year, the EU has introduced several new regulations related to mycotoxins. These updates aim to:
- Simplify existing regulations
- Update thresholds for certain mycotoxins and other commodities (such as deoxynivalenol)
- Bring changes to the sampling process
- Introduce a new requirement for testing the T2 and HT2 mycotoxins.
The UK is maintaining current legislation, but some consumers may now quote the EU regulations in their contracts. If products are exported to the EU and NI, those goods will need to comply with the EU.
If you have any questions or would like to know more detail, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Protecting the quality of your grain
I think we can all agree no two seasons are the same in farming and that's certainly been demonstrated in recent times. It's safe to say that every scenario, whether it be blazing sun and drought or cold with continuous rainfall, poses equally difficult challenges. For that reason it's important to consider whether your grain storage solutions are sufficient enough each season – have you done everything to ensure the quality of your grain is maintained? Could you benefit from help and access to additional storage options?
I hope the advice in this blog is valuable. Given the investment you make into your crops each year, we understand the importance of ensuring they are stored safely and that their quality is protected.
For more advice on how to safely store your grain or if you're looking for additional storage, please speak to your local Frontier contact. Alternative, you can get in touch.
Andrew Darling
Head of Operations (North & West)
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