Keep Your Canola Cool This Fall

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

A decent harvest and record production will see a lot of canola in the bin this year. However, the Canola Council of Canada is advising growers to make sure they condition their canola to storage-safe temperature and moisture levels this fall, or their hard work could all be for naught.

Canola Council agronomy specialist David Vanthuyne says the variable weather conditions during the harvest season should make growers very cautious as they store their canola.

Vanthuyne explains that conditioning involves moving air through the grain mass to prevent any spoilage that may result from moisture migration and seed respiration. He stresses that canola harvested at much above eight- to nine-per-cent moisture must be conditioned, especially if grain temperature is above 25 degrees Celsius.

"Aeration and/or ‘turning' the canola can be an effective way to avoid spoilage," Vanthuyne said. The objective is to cool the seed to below 15 degrees Celsius, and to lower its moisture content to eight per cent moisture - but "if moisture levels are above 10 to 12 per cent, growers need to consider heated air drying," he added.

Growers must regularly monitor their bins for heating or mould growth. Because farmers are using bigger and bigger bins, more heat can be generated and trapped in the bin.

Recent cooler temperatures may give growers a little more time to condition canola, but growers must not assume they are home free, "even if the stored canola is already down below 15 degrees Celsius," Vanthuyne noted. Pockets of damp seed or green dockage can still create hot spots that can quickly spoil a bin.

Even dry canola can still be at risk if it has a high temperature, especially if parts of the bin contain green material which can potentially start the spoiling process.

As a result, Vanthuyne says it is important for producers with stored canola to keep a close eye on their bins even after the seed has been conditioned. Freshly harvested canola can maintain a high respiration rate for up to six weeks before becoming dormant. Over time, the seed may become mouldy or heat-damaged, and, in severe cases, it can ignite.

So, even though the crush of harvest may be nearing the home stretch, producers with crop in the bin are

reminded to keep their eyes open for any sign of trouble in there. "Monitoring is a best practice, just like keeping malathion far away from stored canola," Vanthuyne stated.

More information and advice on the safe storage of canola can be found on the following web pages:

* http://www.canola-council.org/safestorage.aspx
* http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$department/deptdocs.nsf/all/crop1301
* http://www.canola-council.org/MalathionAug11.html

For more information, contact:
David Vanthuyne, Agronomist
Canadian Canola Council
Phone: (306) 946-3588