Although not on the top of everyone’s priorities this harvest, grain storage is still something some growers will need to think about. Here are our tips to get the most out of your protectant products:
1. Keep it clean. Prevention is better than a cure. The best practice is starting off clean, and combine chemical protectants with meticulous hygiene and aeration cooling (especially useful in unsealed storages when fumigation is not possible). The job begins before harvest, by making sure storage sites and harvesting equipment are clean. This will help give protectants the best coverage by removing any potential nests where pests can survive. The inclusion of aeration cooling will also provide an unattractive environment for any pests.
2. Call in to see us and complete your armory with one of our grain protectant products. Currently, the products we carry are; SmartGrain Dual, Fenitrothion 1000, Fumitoxin, Cut & Dry, and soon into store Methograin IGR 300.
3. Work out what your current storage and grain needs are. Will you require only a knockdown product, or will you need protection from further infestation? All our products work differently and will have different withholding periods. Fumitoxin tablets are dropped into gas-tight silos and will require you to have a current chem cert for purchase. The other products are applied as a liquid or a powder onto the grain itself or onto the surfaces of sheds or silos.
4. If you require extra protection, go for the IGR (Insect Growth Regulator) type of treatments. These work by inhibiting the life cycle of the insect. Insects grow by molts, meaning they grow a new exoskeleton under the existing one and then shed the old one, allowing the new one to swell and harden. The IGR’s prevent an insect from reaching maturity by interfering with the molting process. This means they stay at juvenile stages, and can’t breed up and will stop feeding.
For more information on our products and what will work for you, come in store or contact one of our agro’s.
