The harvest is in storage. What comes next
Storage losses are rarely sudden — they are almost always the sum of a few overlooked details.
Autumn is the time to protect what has been harvested. Storage losses accumulate gradually: some of the crop is eaten, some spoils through contamination, and some loses quality because of humidity and damp. By the time the problem becomes noticeable, it is already too late to correct.
Preparing a storage facility begins before it is filled, not afterwards. An empty facility is easier to inspect, clear of residue from the previous year, and dry. Residue from the previous harvest is often the source of problems for the next one.
After that, the list is fairly short:
- humidity and temperature control — almost everything else depends on them;
- protection against rodent entry: screens on vents, tight-fitting doors, and sealed entry points;
- bait stations placed around the perimeter of the facility in advance;
- regular inspections — once every week or two, not once a season.
For grain storage facilities, grain baits deserve particular mention: their base is familiar to rodents, so they readily take the bait even when grain is abundant. This is precisely the kind of situation in which the product format matters more than its composition.
