CANOLA AND OILSEED STORAGE

If you’re a canola grower, or looking to grow canola in the future, there’s a handful of information you’ll need on oilseed storage; especially if you’re looking to store a significant portion on-farm. 

Storage of oilseeds requires different management practices to what you would typically put in place when storing cereal grains. There are insecticide, maintenance, hygiene and monitoring considerations which differ when storing canola, as opposed to wheat, barley and the like. 

COOL AND DRY CONDITIONS:

Oilseeds thrive in cool and dry conditions during storage. Ideally, you should be making use of an aeration system while storing your canola, to keep the temperature in the vicinity of 18 to 23 degrees in summer. 

INSECTICIDE USAGE:

Common insecticides used when storing cereal grains must be avoided when storing oilseeds. Oilseeds absorb insecticides, rendering them unviable for use in the grain silo, grain hopper, or inside handling augers and handling equipment. 

One excellent option is diatomaceous earth, commonly known as dryacide. Dryacide is safe for use with oilseeds, as it doesn’t pose the same risk of residual chemicals ending up on seeds.

CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE:

Hygiene management practices are key in the storage of oilseeds. While insecticides can be used, what is more important is ensuring good silo hygiene.

You can achieve this by cleaning out residual grain from inside the grain silo and the auger, before filling the silo again.

In order for canola to be easier to clean off the aeration flooring, place a thin layer of wheat over the aeration trench flooring.

SEALED SILOS FOR OILSEEDS:

Oilseeds are best stored in a sealable silo. In the case of the detection of a pest infestation, the silo can be quickly sealed, and you can use fumigation to eliminate pests.

MONITOR YOUR GRAIN:

While you might be currently monitoring your cereal grains every four weeks, we recommend monitoring and routinely checking oilseeds fortnightly. This way you’re better equipped to deal with an infestation as it arises. 

Following, and more importantly maintaining, the above steps will ensure that your oilseeds maintain their market value through storage. If you’d like more information on storing grains, or grain storage options for you, get in touch with our team today.