Wayne Clews, of Clews Storage Management, says many farmers just guess and run fans as a safeguard measure — but that can work counter to their own best interests.

Rather than incrementally reducing the temperature of grain as the air temperature co-operates, an up-and-down tug of war ensues. A cool night cools the grain, and warmer days bring the temperature back up.

“You can actually be hurting yourself,” Clews said at his booth at the Ag In Motion outdoor farm show near Langham, Sask. “You’re better off if you know what’s happening in the bin. That’s where it starts.”

Clews said recent advances have made it easier than ever to monitor temperature and manage fan operation.

“I sold my first cable (to monitor bin temperature) in 1969,” Clews said. “Back then, you had to drive into the bin yard, maybe move a little snow, and plug into the cable. These days you can take a cup of coffee into your office in the morning, get on the computer and in a few minutes know what’s happening in your bins.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean bin monitoring has taken off. It’s pretty much standard equipment on new large-capacity bins, but there are still a lot of older, smaller bins with no sensors at all.

For more on grain storage, watch for the post-harvest supplement in the Oct. 19 edition of the Manitoba Co-operator.

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Only five per cent of the 7,000 acres of organic hemp seed contracted each year by Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods and Oils comes from its home province, Mike Fata said at a recent organic trade opportunities workshop hosted by the Manitoba Organic Alliance.

“The majority of it is being grown in Saskatchewan and Alberta,” said Fata. “There are huge opportunities for Manitoba farmers.”

This year, the company is paying $1.15 per pound for organic hemp seed, and most growers average 700 to 1,000 pounds per acre. Input costs are “reasonable,” he added, with seeding rates of 20 to 25 pounds per acre.

The latest hemp varieties grow to be four to five feet tall and can be harvested using regular combines with slight modifications to avoid problems with fibre wrapping. The crop likes nitrogen, so organic farmers are advised to use an alfalfa green manure crop in rotation. Hemp seed should be kept at around nine per cent moisture to avoid heating in the bin, so aeration systems may be necessary to protect the high-value crop.

Hemp is called the green buffalo because every part has a use. Fata’s company sells dehulled, protein-rich hemp “hearts” (shelled hemp seed that is deemed a “superfood” by its proponents), hemp oil, protein powder, and a milk-substitute called “Hemp Bliss,” which has enjoyed sales growth of 50 to 100 per cent a year. Manitoba is also home to Hemp Oil Canada in Ste. Agathe.

Despite the recession, Manitoba Harvest’s revenue surpassed $20 million last year, up from just $50,000 when the company was founded in 1998.

Its 20,000-square-foot HACCP-certified plant was built in 2009 and the company has 1.5 million pounds of storage capacity on site and its own quality control lab, which runs 24/7. Further expansion is on the way, said Fata. It is also actively marketing hemp food products to mainstream consumers, and hands out more than one million free samples at consumer and trade shows each year.

Fata said he understands the reluctance of some farmers to contract with hemp companies, given that a number of small companies “made big promises that weren’t kept” in the 13 years since the crop arrived on the Prairies.

“We pay our bills — we take the grain when we say we’re going to take the grain,” said Fata.

“We now have a good financial backing that allows us to put our schedule together for when we’re going to pull grain and pay at that time.”

Because of its close resemblance to marijuana, the crop is still under the supervision and regulation of Health Canada. However, rules have been relaxed since it was first legalized in 1997 and now permission to grow hemp involves little more than a one-page application and a background check — a process that takes three to four weeks for approval. Some varieties are exempt from THC testing, said Fata.

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Making agriculture research a key priority and rewarding producers for good environmental farm practices are among the suggestions GGC has for the committee, which holds hearings this fall on the 2012 budget.

“The government needs to hear what real farmers want to see in the next budget,” GGC president Stephen Vandervalk said in a statement. “Tax incentives for practical items like lower-emission engines and updated GPS systems to reduce inputs are not only good for farmers, they are also good for the general public that cares about the environment.”

The best way to encourage agriculture research is to allow “successful programs to retain the revenue generated to encourage even more success,” he added. More public-private research partnerships are needed.

RAIL SERVICE REVIEW

The farm group also wants government action on the recommendations of the Rail Freight Service Review for balancing the market powers of the carriers and their customers, he noted.

Agriculture research needs a long-term vision, the GGC presentation says. “Food and agriculture research must remain a strategic target area of research for the federal government. Recent issues like food prices, food safety, biofuels and sustainability have created public interest in agriculture.”

Currently core agricultural research funding “is lower today than it was in 1994. It would take an annual increase of $26 million a year for each of the next 10 years to get us back to the 1994 inflation- adjusted level.”

Agriculture Canada and other departments “should be encouraged to look at partnerships for commercialization as the expertise required for a successful product launch exists primarily within the private sector,” GGC said.

The government should strengthen the ability of farm groups to apply and collect checkoffs so all farmers contribute equally to research, it said.

MORE RESEARCH

It’s important to keep Agriculture Canada in core research the private sector doesn’t conduct. “One small example is in the field of nanotechnology on fertilizer where work is being done to create smart fertilizers that seal themselves when there is too much water, thus preventing leaching into water systems and reducing the amount of product even needed on the fields.”

The government should streamline its regulations to encourage agriculture innovation, GGC said. “There are consumer concerns regarding some new biotechnologies, but food production needs to increase by 50 per cent in the coming years. This will not be achieved through slashing yields to farm organically on a broad-acre basis, nor will this be accomplished by relying solely on conventional plant breeding.”

Another way to help farmers is “increasing the capital cost allowance for aeration and bin temperature monitoring systems will help ensure grain is being stored safely.”

TAX INCENTIVES

With stepped-up testing for mycotoxins in grain, pulses and oilseeds, farmers need to be able “to increase the quality of their on-farm storage and aeration systems to help ensure their harvested grain remains in top condition and is healthy for Canadian consumers.”

Tax breaks for farmers who adopt new technologies “to help guide tractors, fertilizer applicators and sprayers with incredible precision” not only reduces the costs of inputs and fuel, it helps farmers to be good stewards of the environment by reducing application errors of fertilizers or herbicides.

“Also increasing the allowances for new tractors will help ensure that farmers are using modern engines which burn cleaner and reduce carbon emissions,” GGC said.

Farmers also need assistance with developing proper on-farm fertilizer storage. A $1-million capital gains exemption on farm transfers would be a boon to new farmers, the association said.

The post Grain Growers Offers Budget Wish List appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Weeds may be present at harvest because wet spring weather meant many western Canadian grain producers were unable to apply their usual weed controls. If immature weed seeds are not removed from grain during harvest, their higher moisture content can affect grain’s moisture content and temperature in storage. This could create favourable conditions for insect infestation and fungi development during storage.

Blaine Timlick, the Canadian Grain Commission’s stored products entomologist, advises producers to be diligent about using aeration and other methods to keep grain at optimal temperature and moisture.

“Our staff in our service centres, along with Blaine, are here to help,” said Elwin Hermanson, chief commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission. “Before producers begin their harvest, I invite them to contact our grain sanitation experts and to take a look at our recommendations for managing stored grain on our website, www.grainscanada.gc.ca.”

INSECT INFESTATIONS

Timlick advises producers to check the temperature and moisture of their stored grain and monitor the grain for signs of infestation. “In the fall, look for stored grain insect pests by taking samples from the

“Inthefall,lookforstoredgraininsect pestsbytakingsamplesfromthe centralareaonthesurfaceofgrain.”

– BLAINE TIMLICK, ENTOMOLOGIST WI TH CANADIAN GRAIN COMMI SSI ON

central area on the surface of grain,” Timlick says.

FUNGI DEVELOPMENT

The same good storage practices producers use to prevent insect infestations can also prevent the development of fungi. Some fungi produce mycotoxins. For example, ochratoxin A is a mycotoxin produced by some kinds of storage fungi under certain conditions.

Research shows that ochratoxin A develops when grain is improperly stored over long periods of time. Its presence cannot be detected visually. Health Canada is proposing limits on the amount of ochratoxin A that can be present in domestic grain products.

BEST STORAGE PRACTICES

To prevent problems caused by moisture, insect infestation and moulds (including those that cause ochratoxin A), the Canadian Grain Commission recommends producers:

Dry grain before storing it, if necessary, to bring it to the recommended moisture content.

The Official Grain Grading Guide’s specifications for dry grain are:

Barley (all except select): 14.8 per cent moisture or less;

Wheat (all classes): 14.5 per cent moisture or less;

Oats (all) and Barley (select): 13.5 per cent moisture or less.

Use aeration to help control the heat and moisture of grain in storage, particularly if grain is stored at a high temperature.

Bring grain temperature below 15 C as quickly as possible.

Keep the temperature of grain low and uniform, below 15 C.

If using aeration, keep the surface of the grain inside the bin as level as possible to avoid the collection of moisture in the cone.

Suction aeration, which pulls air from the top of the bin to the bottom, can save time and money as it has been shown to cool grain faster than traditional methods that push air through the grain mass. If producers do not have aeration systems, they should turn their grain frequently and monitor its temperature.

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DECIDE TODAY’S NEED FOR SPACE, THEN DOUBLE IT

Storage sites often increase over time, and so every storage plan should address both the current and the future requirements of your farm.

“When it comes to the storage site, bigger is always better,” says Devon Spencer, sales manager at Grain Bin Direct ( www.grainbindirect.com). Spencer’s Saskatoon office sells and sets up grain hopper bins to customers across the Prairies, and over the years he’s seen his share of good (and bad) storage setups. “A bigger site means there’s just more room to manoeuvre semi trailers and other equipment. You can’t really have too much space.”

ADD ON, OR START OVER?

Many farms will already have on-site storage of some kind, and a good setup will ideally incorporate those existing structures. For farmers with large storage sites who have room to spare, adding additional bins or structures is just a matter of installing them. But for those who are already running short on space, adding another bin can be problematic.

“It really depends on what you’ve already got in place. If you have a lot of space to add new bins and still be able to get trucks in there then you’re probably OK,” says Spencer. “If you don’t have the space, it’s almost better to start a new site. I’ve seen some producers who decide to start a second site a couple of miles down the road, because it’s easier for the trucks to access, or because the soil is better for a base.”

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS

Other considerations for your storage site should include proximity to access roads and power sources for aeration systems and other bin accessories (like sensors).

Large-diameter bins work better than tall, narrow bins when air drying grain. If your site doesn’t have access to a power source, choosing large-diameter bins for the site is probably a good idea.

“The biggest thing is to always plan for the future, for both the space and the size of your bins,” Spencer says. “I’ve seen a lot of guys who buy a new 5,000-bushel bin and then regret it a couple of years later when they need one to hold 10,000 bushels because they’ve acquired a few more acres.”

GRAIN BAGS

“Grain bags have become a new storage option in recent years,” says Shawn Cabak, farm production adviser at MAFRI’s Portage la Prairie GO Office. “Probably 95 per cent of producers still use bins for storage, but we are starting to see more and more grain bags in use now.”

The polyethylene bags can hold 15,000 bushels (or 400 tonnes) of grain and are portable, which means that farmers without space in their yards can fill the bags in the field and leave them there.

“They’re very useful if you have land several miles away from your yard, because you don’t have to transport the grain to a bin,” says Cabak.

The bags aren’t reusable, but at a storage cost of just seven to 10 cents per bushel, they are a low-cost solution for short-term grain storage. Producers looking to start using grain bags will have to deal with some upfront costs though.

“The bags are inexpensive, but you need a loader to fill them, and an unloader when you’re ready to empty them out,” Cabak says. “Each machine will cost between $30,000 and $35,000.”

———

“Grainbagshavebecomeanewstorageoptioninrecentyears. Probably95percentofproducersstillusebinsforstorage, butwearestartingtoseemoreandmoregrainbagsinusenow.”

– SHAWN CABAK, FARM PRODUCTION ADVISER AT MAFRI’S PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE GO OFFICE

The post What You Need To Know About Your Bin Storage Setup appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

“Our experts, like Blaine, are here to help Canadian producers,” explains Elwin Hermanson, chief commissioner of the Canadian Grain Commission. “Producers can also visit our website, www.grainscanada.gc.ca, to access information about a variety of issues including storage.”

INSECT INFESTATIONS

To help prevent insect infestations, Timlick cautions producers to check the temperature and moisture of their stored grain and monitor the grain for signs of infestation. “Taking samples from the central area on the surface of grain is a good place to start when you’re looking for stored grain insect pests in the fall,” Timlick says.

To maintain grain quality and minimize insect pest problems, producers should keep:

Grain temperature below

20 C.

Moisture content below 14.5 per cent.

If producers store grain when grain temperatures are high, they should aerate their grain to bring the temperature below

15 C as quickly as possible. Suction aeration, which pulls air from the top of the bin to the bottom, can save time and money as it has been shown to cool grain faster than traditional methods that push air through the grain mass.

If producers do not have aeration systems, they should turn their grain frequently and monitor its temperature. More information about various aeration systems can be found on the Internet.

FUNGI DEVELOPMENT

The same good storage practices producers use to prevent insect infestations can also prevent the development of fungi. Some fungi produce mycotoxins. For example, Ochratoxin A is a mycotoxin produced by some kinds of storage fungi when conditions are right.

Research shows that Ochratoxin A develops when grain is improperly stored over long periods of time. The presence of Ochratoxin A cannot be detected visually. Health Canada is proposing limits on the amount of Ochratoxin A that can be present in domestic grain products.

To prevent problems caused by moisture, insect infestation and moulds (including those that cause Ochratoxin A), the Canadian Grain Commission recommends producers:

Dry grain before storing it, if necessary, to bring it to the recommended moisture content.

The Official Grain Grading Guide’s specifications for dry grain are:

Barley (all except select):14.8 per cent moisture or less.

Wheat (all classes):14.5 per cent moisture or less.

Oats (all) and Barley (select): 13.5 per cent moisture or less.

KEEP THE TEMPERATURE OF GRAIN LOW AND UNIFORM

Use aeration to help control the heat and moisture of grain in storage.

The above tips are basic best practices. For detailed storage advice, including more about monitoring grain in storage, visit the Canadian Grain Commission’s website http://grainscanada.gc.ca/storageentrepose/mqsgm-mgqge-eng.htm.

The post Keeping This Year’s Harvest In Good Condition – for Sep. 2, 2010 appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Thoroughly cleaning storage bins between seasons is the first step to eliminating the risk of insect damage. That means cleaning out the dust, debris and dockage left behind after emptying a bin, which removes insects’ food sources. A good broom and some elbow grease, a pressure washer or a vacuum will all do a good job tidying up inside bins. And don’t forget to clean aeration systems, too.

Once the bins are refilled, keeping stored grains below +15C and under 14.5 per cent moisture content is the next step. Cool temperatures prevent any existing insects from reproducing. And keeping things dry prevents fungi from growing, which can be a magnet for insects.

“If there’s sufficient moisture for fungi to grow, warmer temperatures make it worse,” says Randy Clear, a mycologist with the Canadian Grain Commission. “Fungi is always there.” The heat produced inside a bin filled with damp grain creates an ideal environment for growth.

If you are already dealing with an insect problem, there are several chemical insecticides on the market that can be used to treat an empty bin before the new crop is loaded in. But you need to know what type of grain will be stored in the bin next before using any chemical.

“When you’re treating a bin (to store oilseeds) don’t use malathion,” says Harry Brook of the Alberta Ag-Info Centre. Flax and canola seeds can absorb the residue from it, contaminating the entire bin. “All we need is one sample being tested for export and found positive (for malathion) and we’d lose that market,” he adds.

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