Prime
Take good care of your harvested grain
Michael J Ssali
What you need to know:
- One way of keeping grain safely is limiting the supply of oxygen and moisture to the containers of grain.
- Some people put grain in dry plastic containers and close them tightly
Timely harvesting of grain is by itself a way of protecting your grain from damage. It should be harvested at the time when it is noticed to be mature and fit for harvesting.
Usually when seeds are purchased from the farmer’s store the farmer is given an idea when the planted crops will be ready for harvesting. Some crop varieties take longer to mature than others. Therefore it is important to read carefully the instructions on the seed containers and to remember what the farmers’ shop attendant said about how long the grain takes to mature.
Avoid harvesting crops such as beans during hot weather because the pods will easily crack and spill the beans in the field during transportation to the farm store. On the other hand delaying harvesting crops like maize or groundnuts may attract birds and rodents. Groundnuts may actually germinate and get spoiled.
Packed into bags or any other containers, grains are said to constitute around 60 percent of the total volume of the bulk. The rest of the space between the grains in the pack is occupied by air.
Now it is that air between the grains that can introduce moisture to the grain if the pack of grain is in moist conditions or if it is placed on a dumpy floor. Crops like coffee may gain moisture under such conditions and become mouldy. Secondly it is that air that will give oxygen and water to pests, molds, and other micro-organisms which feed on grain and spoil it.
Some farmers buy plastic bags in which they put grain and tie them up tightly to make sure they don’t let in sufficient oxygen for the grain damaging microorganisms to survive.
It is good to talk to your area “Agriculture Officer” for guidance on how to fight insect pests using pesticides. Pests are poisons manufactured to kill weevils, mites, and other grain damaging organisms. If the pesticides are not properly applied they can be harmful to human consumers and to livestock. Nobody will buy grains that look damaged by pesticides. Rats and mites are another category of farm thieves. They also tend to contaminate grain with their droppings.
