Australian growers have relied heavily on phosphine fumigation to disinfest stored grain and meet market expectations for high-quality grain with nil tolerance to insects. However, reliance on one chemical over a long period of time has led to resistance.
The practice of requiring a phosphine gas reading of less than 0.3ppm in a spear sample taken from within the grain threatens costly rejection of truckloads of grain, including for operators who are following phosphine label directions.
With care, bags and bunkers can provide a practical solution to the harvest logistics challenge. High-quality sealed silos offer top-of-the-range storage, but the boom in demand for on-farm storage means growers are also exploring cheaper options to expand capacity. Bags and bunkers have become a popular, more affordable choice, but growers need to be on their toes to avoid costly failures with these temporary storage solutions.
Take a sneak peek at some of the storage extension team’s favourite systems. The grain storage extension team regularly meets growers and industry participants on-farm to run workshops and provide specialist advice. Examples of well-laid-out facilities, smart features, ideas and innovations are highlighted here to help inspire other growers who are investing in grain storage infrastructure.
New testing set to reveal back pressures for Australian grain under aeration. Achieving sufficient airflow is essential for effective grain aeration, and back pressure – the resistance to airflow through the grain – is one of the important variables determining success. But much of the information used to determine aeration back pressure is outdated and was generated under Northern Hemisphere conditions.
Ground-level fumigation offers safety benefits to growers but takes a new set of skills to get right
Fumigation results rely on a gas-tight sealable storage to achieve the required gas concentrations and exposure times (C x T) to kill all insect pest life stages. In larger silos (150 to 2000 tonnes) recirculating gases using a small fan during the fumigation ensures rapid, uniform distribution of phosphine gas
Grain Storage Specialist Ben White explains when to seal and when not to leave silos sealed, and the risks of getting it wrong.
Grain Storage Specialist Ben White looks at the key components and features to consider when buying silos.
Grain Storage Specialist Ben White demonstrates how to do a pressure test to ensure silos meet the Australian Standard 2628 -2010 for gas-tight sealing.