Silo bags, also known as harvest bags or sausage bags, can play an important role in the storage of grain and provide growers with more marketing options where no other on-farm storage is available, the peak body for pulses in Australia said.

However, pulses are not ideally suited to silo bag storage and if they are stored in silo bags, producers should take precautions in terms of site selection, moisture content at filling, bag sealing, monitoring and maintenance.

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Pulse Australia cites the advantages of silo bags for pulses as potentially reducing freight costs at harvest, allowing for additional and perhaps unlimited storage in a good season and easy grain segregation by variety or grade.

The bags' disadvantages include discolouration, odours and deterioration of pulse grain quality and climate conditions that are ripe for insect and mould infiltration.

A fact sheet has been compiled by Pulse Australia to help growers to weigh up the pros and cons of using the bags for pulses.

The fact sheet can be found at pulseaus.com.au/growing-pulses/publications/grain-storage-bags

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