Grain and Seed Storage Made Easy
Safely storing seed and grain takes many forms depending on your storage quantity, purpose and location. There are many options for seed and grain storage available to producers today, from traditional woven sacks to more modern metal, concrete and plastic containers.
Whatever method you choose, it is important to find a solution that creates the most successful storage and shipping process for your operations, as well as making the experience easier for you and the highest quality product for your customer.
To ensure that you are using the best storage system, your solution should be able to provide many different services to produce the best quality of product. Here are 5 ways to increase the longevity of your seed and grain through the storage process.
1. Ease of Filling and Discharging
Find a solution that is customizable to your favorite method of filling. Storage systems such as woven sacks and metal containers offer effective open top filling. If you prefer a system that is equipped for open top as well other processes such as spout or cone filling, bulk bags can be customized for these unique needs.
Woven sacks and bulk bags are ideal for filling all of your seed and grain products, from canola, flax and oats to many others. When storing grains with special needs, such as flax's tendency to escape from small holes in bins and bags, storage should be reinforced with rigid materials to prevent leaking and possible rolling.
2. Preventing Moisture
Open storage systems leave your product susceptible to many damaging elements, including moisture. Wet conditions cause seeds and grains to become mouldy, resulting in spoilage and dangerous conditions. Avoiding spoilage and danger makes it crucial to find a solution that will decrease or even completely prevent moisture damage.
Drying grain before storage is the most effective way to avoid spoilage. Dryers and gradual cooling will both prevent dangerous condensation, which can then be maintained with proper exhaust and airflow during storage.
Woven sacks made with thin fabric can be easily compromised; metal containers and bulk bags made with heavy-duty materials will better ensure that your seed and grain are kept in safe storage conditions away from any moisture.
3. Protection from Insects and Rodents
Insect infestations can cause the deterioration of your seed and grain quality. Traditional bulk storage systems are more likely to result in high loss from insects, rodents and even birds. Close, consistent monitoring and sealing hinges, corners and other potential entry points in structures can minimize the intrusion of pests into grain storage structures.
It is important to have more than one line of defence, as monitoring storage structures can become time consuming. Ensuring the storage bags or bins you are using are also secure is key. Some storage bins and bags can be reinforced by their manufacturer for better pest control.
4. Effective Use of Space
Depending on the crop your are storing, effective use of space can change due to how it is harvested, dried and distributed to the customer. For crops requiring flexible storage for small-batch distribution, there are bag solutions that allow for safe stacking to make the best use of storage structures. Bags can also offer more versatility, as they are smaller than solid-walled bins and containers.
Other crops are distributed in bulk, and are more suited to a hard-walled storage bin. These are very sturdy and more stackable, but there are space considerations related to operating the machinery needed to move these large bins in your storage structure.
5. Simple Maintenance
It can be difficult to maintain good hygiene of your seed and grain when using large storage systems. If an infestation occurs in a mill or silo, you will most likely waste your entire product supply. Inspection of stored grain is a challenge in bulk storage, and spoilage can spread faster in a large grain bin. Grain stored in smaller quantities can be inspected with ease and minimize spoilage problems that may arise from moisture, insects or animals.
Woven sacks and bulk bags allow you to fill multiple large containers, which allows for simpler moving as well as cleaning and maintenance of any possible issue by isolating the situation and limiting it without affecting your entire supply.
Overall, there are many traditional seed and grain storage options that you can use, and your decision should be based on your unique operation needs. With advanced customization capabilities that are great for handling, storing and transportation, many suppliers have found MiniBulk bags to be their best solution for both storage and shipping needs.
Contact us today about durable and easy-to-fill grain and seed storage!
