Queensland grower Tristan Nitschke says modern storage technology has helped to drive profit by providing greater flexibility around harvest logistics and marketing, while virtually eliminating past challenges with keeping grain on-farm.
“Weevils in cereal grain have been our biggest storage problem, but now insects are not really an issue,” he says. “We do still get them, but we can manage them.”
Growing about 10,000 hectares of wheat, barley and chickpeas in winter, and sorghum and occasionally millet and cotton in summer, the family’s storage system is an integral and evolving part of their dynamic operations spread across three aggregations on the Western Downs.
Upgrading as time and money permits, the system consists of about 50 old and new conical-based silos ranging in capacity from 100 to 280 tonnes. With a collective 11,000t capacity, it can hold around one-third of the grain produced each year.
Tristan says automated aeration systems that come with the newer sealable silos are helping to prevent insect pressure in the first place while providing an efficient and effective cure should an infestation occur. This is because the technology consistently monitors the atmosphere to deliver the most suitable air into the silo at the most appropriate time to keep grain cool – a critical factor in insect prevention.
Tristan says this is a significant improvement on manual aeration fans that need to be switched on (and off) based on an estimate of when air is at its coolest and driest, and therefore best suited to keeping silo temperatures low. This is often overnight or early morning.
“The computerised system has saved a lot of time in labour and ensures the silos are working at optimal temperatures,” he says.
Now, even when we’re delivering grain in the middle of summer, the grain flow is beautiful and cool, so the modern system is doing the job and it’s been a big benefit for us.
The Nitschkes have also retrofitted their older silos with automated aeration technology to improve insect control and grain quality.
Tristan says that while these older silos are still somewhat susceptible to insects, infested grain can be transferred to the new sealable silos for treatment where complete insect control can be maintained.
“The beauty of gas-tight sealable silos is you just shut them up, put your phosphine tablets in and run the fumigation cycle and the problem’s gone,” he says.
Effective aeration that provides cooling and airflow also prevents mould from developing, which means grains can be harvested with a higher moisture content and temporarily stored in silos without compromising quality.
Along with the upgraded aeration system, the Nitschkes have installed specially engineered drying silos equipped with automated three-phase fans that reduce moisture content in grain. Although relatively expensive, it has led to results such as a reduction in moisture in sorghum from 16 to 12.5 per cent.
The ability to dry grain also provides greater flexibility around operations, allowing grain to be harvested at a higher moisture content.
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