News

By Jim Moran, Grains Biosecurity Officer, Victoria

With spring looming, growers are looking ahead to harvest. Warmer days and maturing crops mean it’s time to prepare grain storage facilities. Effective hygiene from harvest through to handling and storage is essential to protect returns and avoid costly insect infestations. Preventing infestations takes planning, time and resources but pays off in higher quality grain and better market access.

Key actions before harvest

• Clean up residues. Remove old grain and spills around silos, bunkers and bags to reduce breeding sites.
• Clean and treat equipment. Empty silos, aeration ducts, augers, conveyors, harvesters and trucks, then apply a structural treatment such as a desiccant dust.
• Check aeration. Cooling grain once stored slows insect breeding cycles.
• Keep harvests separate. Avoid mixing new grain with older stocks that may contain insects.
• Maintain seals. Repair or replace silo seals, and pressure-test fumigation silos to meet Australian Standard AS2628.
• Use protectants wisely. Seek advice on suitable protectants for your crop and market (Protectant choice).
• Monitor storages. Sieve grain, use insect traps and act early if numbers rise.
• Report unusual pests. If you suspect Khapra beetle or another exotic pest, call the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on 1800 084 881.

Resources to support you include the Monitoring Stored Grain on Farm booklet, GRDC’s Grain Storage GrowNotes, and the Grains Farm Biosecurity Program website.

Launched in 2007, the Grains Farm Biosecurity Program (GFBP) is managed by Plant Health Australia (PHA) and funded by growers through Grain Producers Australia (GPA). The GFBP is an initiative to improve the management of, and preparedness for, biosecurity risks in the grains industry at the farm and industry levels.

For more information and helpful grain resources, visit the GFBP website and the Stored Grain Information Hub.