At Ag in Motion in July, we spoke with two product reps on the show grounds about two things in particular that producers should watch for when it comes to grain storage: moisture and temperature.

“When Mother Nature doesn’t do her bit to dry the crop so they don’t need any additional attention, that’s when a grain dryer is an invaluable piece of equipment for farmers,” says Ron Kleuskens, technical sales rep with AGI.

Due to drier conditions, the past few growing seasons have seen less of a demand for on-farm grain drying, added Kleuskens, but weather cycles often come with an element of surprise.

Kleuskens says deciding on a grain dryer shouldn’t be a last-minute decision as there is more to consider than the actual build, such as electrical work.

“The more forethought you put into it gives dealers and builders time to make sure everything is up when you need it,” he says.

“Just because they’ve got the equipment in, it doesn’t mean the electrician can just snap to it. There’s other parts to it.”

Back in July at the show, Kleuskens said it was about a six- to eight-week lead time to set up a grain dryer once a sale is finalized.

Once your grain is inside the bin and dried to an optimal level, bin monitoring systems can offer an added layer of security and peace of mind.

Flaman was one exhibitor at Ag in Motion that offers bin monitoring equipment. Its product, Bin-Sense, is a remote grain monitoring device that keeps you in the loop about the condition of grain inside your bin by triggering an alert if the temperature or moisture of your grain rises above a set threshold.

“Once there is a rise in temperature, the system will send a notification to your phone or computer and it alerts you to a temperature spike,” says Kent Sackmann, grain monitoring manager wth Flaman.

Once an alert is received, a producer can take corrective action such as turning on aeration fans or moving grain as needed.

The Bin-Sense app (available for both Android and Apple) allows a user to monitor their grain from a smartphone or by logging into the website via a desktop computer.

Sackmann shared that producers with higher-value crops in their bins are more likely to use a remote bin monitoring system.

So, depending on where you may be in your crop rotation — and where you predict grain prices may be headed — may spur your decision to invest in a remote grain bin monitoring system.

The Canadian Grain Commission offers safe storage guidelines of all major crops to help producers avoid bin spoilage.

The post Get your wet grains storage-ready: VIDEO appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

It was a climb he had made hundreds of times before without incident on his mixed farm near Ashern, Man. This time though, when he was somewhere between 12 and 15 feet above the ground, the ladder started to fall backwards.

Afraid that he would land on a parked tillage rig below, he managed to swing the ladder out and lock his legs. It wasn’t enough to save him from injury.

“When I hit the ground, that’s when my my right leg tipped and I blew my ankle up. My right leg — after they did the x-rays at the local hospital — was in 18 pieces,” Newman recalled.

WHY IT MATTERS: Harvest has started in Manitoba. It’s a statistically risky season for farmers, with fatigue and the rush to get the crop in sometimes coming up against safety priorities.

Newman ended up going through five surgeries over five years in an attempt to repair the leg before he made the decision to amputate.

Now retired (he still worked the farm for seven years after the accident), Newman hopes today’s farmers can avoid similar tragedy. He’s spent the last decades as an advocate and educator for grain safety.

He was responsible for not securing the ladder before attempting the climb, he said. His messages to farmers include urgings to slow down and be more mindful of what they’re doing at all times.

Keeping harvest safe

Harvest has started for some crops in Manitoba, and that means another safety push from organizations like the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA).

The months from July to October post the highest number of agriculture-related fatalities, according to a report from the association’s Canadian Agriculture Injury Reporting initiative, aggregating data from 2003-2012. July and September together accounted for almost a quarter of deaths, while another 22 per cent happened in August and October. Of those, the vast majority involved being run over, rolled over, entangled in or pinned by machinery.

BeGrainSafe

There’s also another danger repeatedly highlighted by CASA: grain entrapment.

Grain safety is the theme of CASA’s fifth annual BeGrainSafe week, running now from Aug. 11-17. The BeGrainSafe program was launched in 2017 in response to an increase in grain entrapment fatalities.

The Canadian Agriculture Injury Reporting initiative has found that farm deaths from choking on grain or soil increased 5.1 per cent each year between 1990 and 2015. From 2006-2015, 30 people (about 83 per cent of asphyxiation deaths) passed away from choking on grain or silage. Looking at a more recent window, from 2011-2020, the initiative counted up 27 fatalities from grain or soil asphyxiation.

The program offers prevention education, rescue training for firefighters and on-site workplace training to heighten awareness about grain hazards.

“Grain entrapment is a significant safety risk anywhere that grain is stored — and it can happen in the blink of an eye,” said CASA’s executive director Sandra Miller in a release.

There are plenty of things farmer’s can do to reduce grain, bin and other farm accidents, said Catherine Rylatt, founder and vice-president of the Grain Handling Safety Coalition — one of CASA’s partners.

Tip 1: Never forget your lockout tags

This involves rendering equipment unable to be turned on, reducing risk of accidental burials or injuries when farmers are in a bin.

Locking out equipment takes just a few steps, but failing to use lockout tags is still the leading cause of entrapments and engulfments, wrote Rylatt in an email.

“Turn off the equipment, disconnect it from the power source, ‘lock out’ the power source so no one can accidentally turn it on,” she said.

Keep the keys on you rather than in the equipment so that no one else can unlock it and “put a tag on it so people know it is locked out,” she said.

“Get a lockout tagout kit from your supplier. They are not that expensive and go a long way to saving people from injury provided they are used each and every time.”

Tip 2: Don’t rely on rescues or “gimmicks”

Don’t count on a rescue, wrote Rylatt, “chances are they won’t make it in time.”

It only takes a few seconds to be engulfed and, once it happens, the odds of survival plummet, CASA warns.

Producers are also advised against “gimmicks” to skirt proper safety procedures.

“For a while people were buying respirators because it saved the life of the person in Iowa until he was rescued — but barely,” Rylatt warned.

Far better would have been to follow better safety procedures.

Farmers are also often told to harness up before making a significant climb, such as entering a bin at height.

Tip 3: Check in or risk checking out

Rylatt is emphatic on this point: Tell someone where you’ll be and what you’re doing.

“Do regular check-ins. Some of the saddest cases are hearing that people didn’t realize someone was missing, injured, engulfed, etc., until the evening when they don’t show up,” she said.

Many producers work alone, a point also noted by various farm safety organizations. That’s never recommended if going in a bin, although solo operators often find it difficult to find someone to be there with them.

“Check-ins are very important with a family member, neighbour, etc,” Rylatt said.

She’s seen first-hand the kind of tragedy that can unfurl for lack of a quick phone call or sticky-note on the kitchen refrigerator.

Long before she started the coalition “a co-worker of my husband’s didn’t show up for work on Monday morning,” she wrote via email. “This was highly unusual as he didn’t call either. They knew he was going to be mowing/haying over the weekend, so (they) decided to call the sheriff.”

When they located him, it was too late.

“They found him under his tractor. He had been trapped since Saturday morning. The autopsy revealed he passed just a few hours before they found him. It was truly horrific and gut wrenching.”

Tip 4: Maintenance and suitable clothing crucial

Make sure your bins, ladders, catwalks and equipment are in good repair and well-maintained, advised Rylatt. Appropriate clothing is also a must.

“Make sure all guards are in place and working properly!” she stressed. “Never step across a moving PTO or conveyor. Don’t wear loose clothing around machinery. Remove jewelry, ties (like on hoodies) and keep hair secured if it is long. Use proper ladder procedures when ascending/descending … don’t forget about heat stress signs and understand your physical capabilities.”

The last point is directed particularly at elder producers and those on medications that may impair ability.

“As we get older and especially on certain medications, our balance can be affected — not a good thing if climbing ladders, etc.,” said Rylatt.

She also urged producers to bear the inconvenience and put on the personal protection equipment. That includes dust masks.

“Be aware of dust accumulation and follow the standards as it can be explosive,” she said. “Keep the area around the bins clean, free of debris, mowed, etc. to discourage critters.

“Before storing new grain, thoroughly clean those bins and make repairs if needed and thoroughly clean the harvesting equipment. Follow your rules for slow-moving and large vehicles and make sure they have the appropriate signage, lights, etc., before harvest starts.”

Tip 5: Don’t neglect your health

Rylatt strongly recommended producers pay attention to all facets of their health, including mental health. Harvest is stressful.

“Get good restorative sleep, stay hydrated (not with caffeine or alcohol), eat healthier meals, take rest breaks, get some exercise like yoga or a walk for both physical and mental health,” she wrote. “Stretch the muscles before a long, hard day — especially true for us older folks to reduce the risk of strains and sprains.”

Never hesitate to ask for help, especially if a job is too much for one person, she added.

And whatever you do, don’t rush.

“Rushing leads to bad decisions. No matter what, take the time to do what needs to be done safely. It only takes mere seconds to be injured and those injuries can impact you and your loved ones long term — physically, mentally, financially, etc.

“The goal is always to return home at the end of your work day.”

It’s all a message, says Newman, that farmers need to continue to hear.

“With a lot of these accidents, when I sat down with other farmers that had accidents, you get into a repetition. Farming is so automatic in some ways you don’t even think about it. I climbed those bins hundreds of times … and then I made one mistake. I didn’t secure the ladder quite right. And it bit me.”

The post Safe at the grain bin: Farmers urged to be grain-safe this fall appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

The four organizations include Venlaw Manufacturing, the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS), the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre (Food Centre) and Ag-West Bio.

The announcement was made at the GIFS facility in Saskatoon Aug. 12 by Eleanor Olszewski, federal minister of emergency management and community resilience and the minister responsible for PrairiesCan.

“As you know, our country’s really dealing with a shift in the global economic and political landscapes,” said the minister.

“And that makes us have to rethink, really, how we do our business. And things like food security and economic resilience for our country have become more important than ever.”

Venlaw Manufacturing will receive $2.1 million under the Business Scale-up and Productivity program. Venlaw is based in Watson, Sask., and has been importing and outfitting custom grain bins since 2020.

“Moving our business from importing and retailing grain bins to manufacturing our own product in Watson, Sask., is an extremely capital-intensive venture,” Venlaw co-owners Rebecca Paszt and Tom Dooley said in the press release.

The funding will enable the business to make the move from import to manufacturing. It will be used to purchase equipment for scaled-up production of a roof roll forming and sidewall line, material handling for finished goods preparation and a finished cold storage building. It also assists with the development of the company’s export market.

For PrairiesCan, the goal of this portion is to reduce imports of manufactured products, focus on Canadian-made and increase use of Canadian steel and local supply chains.

Meanwhile, GIFS will receive $1.6 million to develop a genomic selection-based accelerated breeding program. It’s aim will be to advance breeding capabilities for livestock and crops to increase yield and quality and bring product to market quicker.

For GIFS, this funding builds on the previous $2.5 million it received from PrairiesCan in 2022 for the establishment of Canada’s engineering biology platform focused on food and agriculture.

The Food Centre will receive $420,000 for renovations and equipment to increase capacity for co-packing and incubation space.

Ag-West Bio will receive $20,000 for the 2025 and 2026 Agri-Value Forums to hold the conference, workshops and tours to promote Saskatchewan’s value adding industry.

GIFS, the Food Centre and Ag-West Bio’s funding is part of the Regional Innovation Ecosystems program.

“Agriculture is fundamental and vital to us as human beings, but it’s also an essential economic activity for the Prairies and so for Canada, too,” said Olszewski.

The investments are estimated to create more than 30 new jobs, $7 million in export revenue and $51 million in new commercial revenue growth.

The post Sask. agriculture sector receives federal funding appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

“I was certainly very deeply honoured and humbled to receive this honour,” said Jayas, the current president of the University of Lethbridge.

Around May, Jayas learned he was going to be entered into the Order of Manitoba, the province’s highest honour, when he got a call from Anita Neville, the lieutenant governor of Manitoba, .

“I was thrilled. I did not expect it, so it was a pleasant surprise,” said Jayas.

The formal ceremony will be held on Thursday, July 17, at the Manitoba Legislative Building.

Jayas has a long-standing relationship with Manitoba. After completing a Bachelor of Agricultural Engineering at G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in Pantnagar, India, Jayas moved from India to Winnipeg to do his master’s at the University of Manitoba.

“At the time when I finished my master’s, the department did not have a PhD program. I probably would have stayed in Manitoba to do my PhD, but then I went to the University of Saskatchewan to do my PhD,” he said.

Jayas is an agricultural engineer, which means he uses the application of engineering to solve problems in the biological world. Grain is a biological material that spoils, making it the perfect system for agriculture engineering storage systems, he said. Jayas is world-renowned in his research on how to stop grain spoilage by measuring carbon dioxide.

For his master’s degree, Jayas studied how spoiling grains produces carbon dioxide, moisture and heat.

Temperature measurement and heat are commonly used as indicators of spoilage, but Jayas chose to study the increase in carbon dioxide. He was interested in using sensors to measure carbon dioxide in the grain bin. He looked at the best location to put a sensor, even if it wasn’t clear where spoilage was occurring in the bin. He wanted to find out the minimum resolution of the sensor that could be used to detect spoilage.

“Carbon dioxide is a very good spoilage indicator, because the ambient carbon dioxide is so low, so if the carbon dioxide goes up, it would be able to give the warning sign for the anticipated spoilage,” he said.

Over the years, he has completed mathematical modelling work to understand the stored grain ecosystem. Jayas also worked with the horizontal air flow drying systems and developed techniques to find insects in grain based on thermal imaging and near infrared imaging. He led the research team that created the first 3D model to track heat, moisture and carbon dioxide in grain storage. He has collaborated with researchers in Canada, China, Ukraine, India and the United States and made a significant impact on grain storage, drying and handling systems. His work has led to the rapid adoption of carbon dioxide use in insect control programs. Jayas has co-authored over 1,000 technical articles in scientific journals, conference proceedings and books dealing with issues of storing, drying, handling and quality monitoring of grains.

Over the 30 years of his research and teaching career, Jayas has earned many accolades.

He was the vice-president of the University of Manitoba and a distinguished professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering .

When Jayas gained that title, it was limited to only 20 professors in the province,

“Somebody had to retire or resign before the new opening would occur,” he said.

Jayas has also had the honour of being named a senior Canada Research Chair in stored grain ecosystems by the federal government. He was involved with the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada, serving first on the council and then as interim president. Jayas has been inducted into the Manitoban and Canadian Agricultural Halls of Fame.

Jayas became a member of the Order of Canada in 2018. He was recognized for the work he has done on agri-food systems and the changes his work has brought to Canada and globally.

He has been married for over 40 years to his wife, Manju, and they have three sons and five grandchildren.

Jayas is a believer in the power of research. It can help solve whatever problem farmers, or society in general is facing, he said.

“Research helps in understanding what the causes of the issue are, or the causes of the problem are, and then helps find the solutions. Research also helps in creating a unique training environment for undergraduate and graduate students because they work on that research program and it helps generate the ideas which then can be either commercialized or popularized,” he said.

“As an example, horizontal air flow drying, I decided not to patent it. Rather than patenting it, I decided to share that to the farming community and then many other companies now build and market horizontal air flow drying systems,” he said.

“Research generates guidelines which farmers can use and helps in growing the cultural aspect in the society which is very important for improving the living standards in any society,” he said.

Jayas grew up on a farm in India and was influenced by the work ethic of his grandparents. His grandfather was committed to building and supporting the community, a value Jayas shares, having learned the value of volunteerism observing his grandfather. He also took much of the inspiration for his life’s work due to his time growing up on the farm.

“I saw a lot of problems farmers face and the help they needed to solve those problems,” he said. “Grain storage, the issue that I have worked on most of my life, really, was because I used to see so many grains spoiling in India. And I always used to think there must be something which could be done to reduce the spoilage of grains,” he said.

“I’m very grateful for the students and also my colleagues or other researchers in the grain industry, because most of the research projects build on their earlier former accomplishments, and they complement what other people have done,” he said. Undergraduate students, graduate students, post-docs and other researchers have also contributed to his work and allowed him to achieve everything he has done so far.

Jayas is currently the president and vice-chancellor at the University of Lethbridge. He was attracted by the smaller city, and the smaller university.

The University of Lethbridge was also committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and creating a respectful environment.

When he had visited Lethbridge in the past, he found the university and the general community both very welcoming.

“The university was also looking at the possibility of starting a program in agriculture engineering, so hopefully with my background, I can help with that,” he said.

The post Digvir Jayas, renowned scientist and professor emeritus from the University of Manitoba, invited to receive the Order of Manitoba this July appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

So the older hopper bins without aeration that have been populating farmyards for decades now have limited uses, especially when it comes to storing grain harvested in less-than-ideal conditions. The cost and effort to upgrade them to aeration bins often makes that option unrealistic.

But growers now have a lower-cost option — one that’s easy to install and could give those older bins a lot of added value.

WHY IT MATTERS: A new aeration add-on could give older hopper bins a new lease on life.

The compact Wavcor Manhole system inserts a short length of ducting through existing manhole covers on bin hoppers. It provides an easy, bolt-on way to get airflow through stored grain — and doesn’t require any cutting or modifying of the bin.

“It makes it very easy to install, and it still moves out of the way,” says Jason Griffith, an engineer at Wavcor. “You just remove the two locking bars and move it out of the way so you can still get into the bin and clean it out.”

The Saskatoon company provides a flexible connection that allows connection of a fan to the Manhole system without it being bolted to the bin, keeping installation and removal fast and easy.

“We don’t mount the fan right to it, so we provide an air sock, so you can run it to whatever fan you have sitting there,” Griffith says. “The idea of that is it makes it easy to get in the bin. You don’t have to unbolt and move a fan every time you want to get into the bin.”

The duct work on the system extends close to the centre of the bin, but not quite all the way, because when grain flows out of the bin it’s pulled down through the centre. Keeping the duct work out of that downward flow minimizes the pressure that would be applied to it when removing grain.

”If this was any longer, it would protrude into that flow of grain and you’d have a lot of force put on this thing,” Griffith says.

That also allows for a lighter design, making it easier to install and remove. Despite its limited ducting, it can still provide significant cooling airflow. How much depends on the fan you use.

“We have our 20-horsepower air fan,” Griffith says. “On the 3,000-bushel bin we did testing on we were getting over 3,000 c.f.m. (cubic feet per minute) of air flow. Now if you have a three-horsepower fan on there, you’re going to get a lot less airflow.

“Where this is good is if you have that old 2,000- or 3,000-bushel bin you don’t want to get rid of in case you need the space, but you’re also scared to use it because you can’t get any air in there. This gives you an option without spending very much money and doing a big upgrade. You can get air into that bin and have peace of mind when you put grain in it.”

The Wavcor system could also make a good fit with smooth-wall fertilizer bins. It could allow for airflow when grain is stored in them, where permanent ductwork would be corroded by contact with the fertilizer. The system could be removed when fertilizer is stored in the bin and reinstalled when used for grain.

In bins used to store cleaned seed, it eliminates the need to go into an aeration bin and clean out permanent ducting to avoid contamination from whatever was in the bin previously.

“We promote this for cooling the grain, not drying the grain,” Griffith adds. “You could do drying with it, but that one side of the bin is probably going to dry faster than the other.”

Retail price for the Wavcor Manhole system is $1,190, and it’s available in different sizes to match common round or square manhole sizes. The systems are currently being sold directly from Wavcor, which can be contacted directly through its website at Wavcor.ca.

The post A new easy conversion of hopper bins to aeration appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

To spread awareness and prevent such tragedies, the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association held its fourth annual BeGrainSafe Week Aug. 12-18. Events included an online seminar on grain entrapment hazards, risk and prevention.

Grain entrapment is a critical concern because it only takes a few seconds for people to be engulfed. Many do not survive, said CASA chief executive officer Andrea Lear in an Aug. 8 press release.

“With BeGrainSafe Week, our objective is to highlight the significance of grain safety and to raise awareness among more Canadians about the hazards associated with grain handling and storage.”

Twenty-seven people died from asphyxiation from grain or soil on Canadian farms between 2011 and 2020. These incidents are preventable, Lear said.

“This is why BeGrainSafe is dedicated to informing farmers, farm workers, farm families and farming communities about the importance of prioritizing grain safety to prevent these tragedies from happening.”

Why it matters: Grain safety knowledge is essential so producers can protect themselves and their workers.

Webinar paticipants included Dan Marsellus, BeGrainSafe master trainer and fire chief of Kneehill Country, Alta., Catherine Rylatt, co-founder and vice-president of the Grain Handling Safety Coalition in the United Sates, and Robin Anderson, director of programs and communications at CASA.

Marsellus said grain entrapment in Canada is dealt with in a reactionary rather than preventive way.

“We’re trying to get to the forefront and be precautionary or be ready for things,” he said.

Harvest season presents a stressful and time-pressured environment. That’s normal for farmers but it can also lead to accidents, Marsellus said.

“We start to focus on everything too close, and we don’t look at the big safety picture. So, if we take a step back and look at things bigger, that’s where it becomes important.”

When grain plugging occurs, farmers can be tempted to leave equipment running and enter a bin to unplug it. That can have disastrous results when the plug clears.

“Once that happens, then that grain flows very fast, and you’re going to get caught in it,” Rylatt said. Her 19-year-old nephew and his 14-year-old co-worker both died after being engulfed in grain.

Producers often deal with fatigue, dehydration and improper nutrition during harvest, all of which play a role in farm accidents, added Anderson.

“We’re not always maybe making the best decisions because we are in a rush. Maybe we haven’t had long enough sleep. We know that not having enough sleep is a huge detriment to safety …and to our mental health,” she said.

This can severely impair judgment, leading to risky behaviours such as neglecting safety protocols.

Marsellus said the riskiest behaviour seems to happen during grain movement, including movement of vehicles. Grain handling, particularly when dealing with large quantities, presents several critical hazards that aren’t always apparent.

“Moving grain can be deadly,” Marsellus said. “The stuff flows like sand. You get moving grain, it’s going to happen in a minute.”

Entrapment can occur with alarming speed and the response time of emergency services can be lengthy. Even with well-trained local fire departments, the situation can turn deadly within moments. Equipment should always be turned off and holes should always be guarded. Every employee must be accounted for, he said.

Farmers should have safety methods and contingency plans in place because many things can go wrong before the fire department arrives, Marsellus said. In his county, all fire departments rely on volunteers, and in an emergency, it can take 20 to 30 minutes for help to arrive.

“The reality of the situation is that it happens too fast, and it doesn’t take long to get too bad. Unfortunately, a lot of the time, by the time we get there, its body recovery,” he said. “The more safety that can be done at the farm, that’s even better for us to get there and make it an easy rescue instead of a recovery.”

Crush pressure is a critical factor in entrapment cases. As a person becomes more deeply buried in grain, the pressure exerted on their body increases dramatically. It is nearly impossible to free them without proper equipment and training. Firefighters are trained to stop grain flow immediately, even though it may seem counter intuitive.

Most grain entrapments end with the person getting out on their own or with help from co-workers, so rescue services aren’t called. Then people brush off the events and fail to think about prevention, said Rylatt. Not talking about it can be dangerous.

“We can talk about it more and be more aware of it and work together more because … when you’re working on a farm, a lot of times you are working alone. You don’t think to ask somebody for help.”

She also noted the hazards associated with moving large equipment, like trucks and combines, have historically been a significant concern and there appears to be a growing awareness and fewer accidents in recent years.

This progress suggests that safety measures and mutual understanding are effective, but it’s crucial to remain vigilant because these hazards are not entirely eliminated, Rylatt added.

During the online seminar, she recalled a situation where a new grain handling system lacked essential safety features, such as railings on catwalks 60 to 70 feet above ground.

“It was only when they started building it that we asked about the tie-off points and the railings,” she said. “When you get up that high … you gotta have a railing.”

It’s not uncommon for safety elements to be considered optional or overlooked during the ordering process. Making them a priority can prevent accidents and save lives, Rylatt said.

Ongoing training and awareness are vital to prevent accidents related to grain handling. Many farmers who also serve as volunteer firefighters are trained to recognize the dangers and respond effectively.

The landscape of grain handling safety is evolving, and some newer grain systems include built-in safety features like covered holes and no-entry designs that can prevent accidents.

Ensuring that stored grain is in the best possible condition can also reduce the need for workers to enter bins, further mitigating risks, Rylatt said.

“The safest grain bin is one you don’t have to enter at all.”

CASA’s BeGrainSafe program was launched in 2017 in response to a rise in grain entrapment fatalities. The program offers education on prevention, rescue training and on-site workplace training to increase awareness of grain-related dangers and save lives.

The post Grain entrapment safety non-negotiable, experts say appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

It’s the fourth year of a Canadian Centre for Grain Storage Research project on grain pests. The centre is located at the university and the insect research project is part of the Prairie Bio Vigilance network.

The network hopes to proactively identify invasive species of pests, disease and weeds across the Prairies, facilitating quicker response. Research is wholly based on farm volunteer samples.

Researchers in Lacombe and Lethbridge, Alta., have been studying wheat diseases and invasive wheat weeds. Vincent Hervet, a stored product entomologist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and adjunct professor at the U of M, has been addressing the pest side.

“My mandate is to study the detection, prevention and control of insects in stored products,” he said. “Stored product is any stored food, from the beginning when the grain is stored into bins, all the way down to retail.”

Why it matters: Identifying pests before they spread is critical to farm production and market maintenance.

Hervet’s survey is the first such interprovincial effort in Canada. Since 2020, the team has surveyed 27 farms across Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. The work has been complicated by pandemic travel restrictions, time constraints and participants dropping out.

“Last year, because of the drought, many people we contacted told us, ‘you can come if I have grain, (but) chances are that I won’t have grain.’ And sure enough, many people told us, ‘I just don’t have enough grain,’ or ‘the elevator called me immediately after harvest. I couldn’t keep the grain for one month. It’s already gone.’”

International market factors also greased the wheels of the value chain. The war in Ukraine has limited global supply, so much of the grain Hervet hoped to tap was sold before researchers obtained samples. They resorted to sampling some of the same farms as in previous years, though new sites would have been preferred.

Survey 2024

This year, the survey is taking place in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and Hervet is looking for new participants.

“We identify the insects and then we tell the farmers what we found and if there is a need to be concerned,” said Hervet. “So that could be interesting for the farmers to know what there is in their bins. And we also provide a number of recommendations on what to do to prevent those problems.”

Final study results will indicate the area of a municipality where bugs are found, but will not mention specific farms or farmer names, he said.

Sampling is done after grain has been in the bin for at least a month, but before weather gets so cold that insects stop moving. Hervet’s team places insect traps in the bin and in the bin yard and leaves them for two weeks. Samples are collected from multiple bins in the same yard.

Bin traps use a pitfall design. Holes are small enough for insects to fall through, but not grain. Bin yards are set with multi-funnel traps to measure populations of flying beetles and bucket traps are used for moths. Both styles are fitted with pheromone bait.

Researchers also measure grain and grain bin temperature and moisture.

“Overall, we didn’t find anything new,” Hervet said of results so far. “We only found known species, but also the most common species. We didn’t find anything rare either.”

Rusty grain beetle has been the primary finding, researchers noted. The insect is common on the Prairies, but hard to spot without traps or grain tests.

This is the last year the team will go to farms, but Hervet hopes to keep the surveys alive. He’s pondering an exchange program in which farmers would be provided with traps and would submit samples.

The post Farmers needed for grain bin bug study appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

For Paul Brisebois, getting the crop safely off the field and into the bin boils down to two words: capacity and efficiency.

“What we’ve seen through consolidation of farms is a continued trend to larger grain storage and handling on-farm; mostly flat-bottomed,” he said. “Traditionally, in Western Canada, they need hopper bottom bins and the reason for that is the variety of crop that we have.”

Brisebois, senior vice president for Canada for grain storage manufacturer AGI, was at Ag in Motion west of Langham, Sask. on July 16. He explained that as farms have increased in size, their storage requirements now mean far greater quantities of a single crop, whether it be canola or wheat. This means higher capacity, flat-bottomed bins. These are often centrally located, with larger capacity handling equipment and sometimes permanently installed handling equipment.

Another on-farm trend is on the conditioning side, whether it is blending tough and too-dry grain to get an optimal moisture level, aeration systems, or simply high-capacity grain drying so harvest can continue even if Mother Nature is not particularly co-operative.

“We’ve seen the trend to more producers getting NECO dryers, mixed-flow dryers in the market just cause it enables them to smooth out harvest. If it’s coming in late, if it’s coming in at different times, you can condition it properly.”

—Watch for more coverage of grain handling and storage trends and innovations from Ag in Motion in upcoming issues of Grainews, the Western Producer, and other Glacier FarmMedia publications.

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Anne Kirk, cereal crop specialist with Manitoba Agriculture, advises aeration and vigilant monitoring of bin moisture and temperature. The latter is particularly important when outside temperatures fluctuate.

“We have definitely heard of some issues with canola having some heating in the bin and some higher moisture zones,” Kirk said. “That’s something that farmers definitely need to be on the lookout for.”

Why it matters: Abnormal winter temperatures lead to abnormal conditions for grain storage.

Alberta is also experiencing higher spoilage risk, wrote Neil Blue, provincial government crops market analyst, in a recent news release.

“Several cases of spoiling crops have showed up lately, leading to marketing difficulty and large price discounts,” he said.

In contrast, Kim Stonehouse, crops extension specialist with the Saskatchewan agriculture ministry, reports that storage conditions have been “fairly normal” in her province this year.

The science of spoilage

Spoilage in bins is usually caused by moisture migration.

“In the fall and winter, grain in the bin cools because it’s colder on the edges,” Kirk said. That cool air on the periphery of the grain then starts to settle.

“As it moves towards the floor of the bin and into the centre, (the air) becomes warmer because the grain on the inside of the bin is warmer, and then that warmer air becomes lighter.”

That warm air then reverses, rising in the centre of the bin before cooling again when it reaches cold grain near the surface.

“What results is an increase in moisture content near the surface, which can cause rapid grain spoilage.”

Grain and oilseeds will respire for a month or more after storage, noted Blue.

“This respiration can release moisture, which in turn can lead to spoilage. Dense crops like canola are particularly subject to storage problems, although all crops with moisture can spoil.”

Producers’ best bet is to aerate binned crops during the respiration period.

Deep winter seesaw

The basic moisture migration process and its management are the same even when it’s -40 C, said Blue, but the cold snap may have caused more migration.

“The colder January temperatures would further cool the outside portions of the stored crop, possibly leading to more moisture migration from the bottom-middle up towards the top, where that moisture would meet cold crop, possibly causing condensation there.”

Kirk also noted any sudden shift from springlike temperatures to bone-chilling cold should warrant a bin check.

“Do you have a high moisture zone? Is your grain kind of crusty on top, which indicates higher moisture? What temperatures are you going to add?”

Cycling grain or canola can equalize temperatures in the bin, she said.

“Especially for something like canola, take a load or part of a load out of a variety of canola bins to justcheck it and then cycle it through so you are mixing it up a bit and not creating those really high moisture results in the bin.”

Blue also recommended turning the crop by removing some from each bin, letting it sit on a truck for a day or two and then returning it to the bin. It’s better to do this during cold weather, but spring may require another bin turning.

“If continued safe storage is questionable, it may be advisable to turn the grain again in the spring as the stored grain warms, or use the fan if the bin is equipped,” said Blue, adding that consistent monitoring is key.

“Many producers use in-bin monitoring systems to detect potential storage trouble. While lower than last crop year’s prices, crop prices are still historically high and worth protecting in storage.”

Monitoring can be also be done with a grain probe, said Kirk, although she cautioned producers to be thorough.

“We like to recommend probing all sides and the centre of the bin,” she said.

Stonehouse agreed that monitoring grain temperatures and quickly addressing any issues is always a good practice. Even grain that is not at a safe storage moisture content can have a long shelf-life as long as temperatures stay below 5 C, she noted. Beyond that, problems occur.

“If there is spoilage happening, it is possible that the grain did not cool to below zero degrees Celsius after harvest due to the unusually warm weather we had,” she said.

Moisture targets

Although 10 per cent moisture (the dry moisture standard for canola) is usually sufficient for marketing, its actual moisture in the bin should be lower, said Blue.

“Safe, longer-term storage moisture levels are below eight per cent. If it is binned at high temperatures, canola can even spoil at six per cent moisture,” he noted.

The Canadian Grain Commission outlines moisture standards for many grains. Buyer expectations also play a role.

“Certain markets or contracts may have different moisture level specifications than (the commission’s). For example, feed barley sold to a domestic feed user is commonly considered to be dry at 15 per cent moisture or less,” said Blue.

Kirk also recommended using CGC resources.

“They have a lot of graphs on their website where you can plot out your initial moisture content of your grain and the temperature of the grain going in the bin.”

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There were bins 19 feet in diameter, with a 2,700 bu. capacity, but few farmers bought them because they were hard to shovel out and sweep augers weren’t widely available.

Why it matters: Bigger bins mean more grain can be stored, which requires greater attention to management.

These days, the numbers are a lot bigger. The most common flat-bottom bins today are 36 and 42 feet in diameter and store 25,000 to 40,000 bu., says Derek Johnson of bin maker AGI.

“Over the last 10 or 20 years, the size of bins has grown dramatically, just based on sheer production. We know genetics have improved, farming practices have improved and with that comes an increase in production.”

That brought a push for larger bins, more sophisticated grain-handling solutions and high-tech monitoring equipment.

“Growers are looking for a system that’s fairly easy to run and fairly easy to maintain,” Johnson says. “That comes down to the monitoring systems that they’re putting into their bin, being able to see the condition of their grain on their phone, being able to control their fans — being able to turn them on when they see there’s potentially a hot spot in the bin and condition that grain down and keep it cool.”

Putting that much cereal grain, pulse or oilseed in one place for an extended time comes with a challenge to keep that product safe and in condition.

Just the effect of that grain’s weight pressing down is significant. A 19-foot bin from the 1970s could hold roughly 162,000 pounds of wheat, assuming a bushel weight of 60 lb. The biggest bins of today hold 2.4 million lb., nearly 15 times as much.

That packs grain tightly into the bottom of the bin and increases static pressure (resistance to airflow), making temperature and moisture control more difficult. Those challenges are offset by lower cost per bushel and less hassle switching from bin to bin during harvest and grain shipping.

Grain price trends over the years makes the math better, too. Farmers can typically get the best price several months after harvest.

“That’s when those grain companies are looking for product,” Johnson says. “To capture those premiums in the marketplace, you have to have safe storage.”

While grain bags have recently grown in popularity, they’re better suited to short-term storage to ease harvest logistics. Grain can be stored in them for longer periods, but not as reliably and with considerable risk and management requirements.

One grain storage specialist says managing a bin isn’t complex, but farmers need a clear picture of what’s happening inside.

Wayne Clews of Clews Management says many farmers guess the condition of the crop in the bin and run fans as a safeguard. However, that can work counter to their 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 during Saskatchewan’s Ag in Motion outdoor farm show this summer. “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 to monitor temperature and manage fan operation.

“I sold my first cable [to monitor bin temperature] in 1969,” he 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 is universal. It’s pretty much standard equipment on new large-capacity bins, but there are still a lot of older, smaller bins with no sensors.

In the end, it comes down to three factors, Clews said: the moisture of the grain; the temperature of the grain; and how long the farmer wants or needs to store it. That equation can change based on variables like commodity prices.

“When canola falls from $20-something to down into the teens… there’ll soon be some out there that’s over 365 days [in storage],” Clews said. “That’s a whole new challenge. What was safe for 200 days may not turn out to be all that safe for 300 days.”

That’s when close monitoring of a bin can pay off.

While a physical sensor in the bin itself is the gold standard, there are other approaches to manage grain storage that rely on data, not cables.

OPI has been a leader in grain storage technology for decades. It’s taking a new approach that provides some free hardware, offers a user-pay model for some services and a service that uses virtual weather data to alert farmers on the optimum time to run their fans, says the firm’s founder and owner, Dave Crompton.

“We’re trying to knock down some of those barriers to entry and get people into the tent and talking and thinking about grain storage differently.”

Crompton says the hardware-based approach is always going to be the gold standard but OPI aims to give producers smaller, easier steps to get there.

“We feel that’s a better approach than asking people to make this major paradigm shift from the way they’ve always done things — or even the way their parents and grandparents always did things — all at once.”

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