This year, we’ve continued to see more storage challenges across the industry, a problem faced by both farmers and professional stores alike.

Last year it was a generally dryer harvest for most, meaning grain quality in relation to safe storage conditions was better, with less variability. This resulted in a more uniform crop going into store, but the milder autumn period eventually meant grain cooling in some areas was difficult and took longer. As a result, accurate and regular checks of bulks were even more important.

This year, the words ‘variable quality’ probably don’t do the challenges facing farms and commercial stores justice! With the combines rolling earlier than most have experienced before, there is also the battle of space to contend with too.

Protecting the quality of your crop

A factor that will be on some people’s mind is the ‘over-yearing’ of bulks, which can present different challenges. Where sheds are not ‘full’, the mixing of old crop and new crop should only be done if there are no other options, and only where it won’t impact the marketability of the bulk.

While it’s therefore possible, the biggest risk in this scenario is ending up with two bulks that aren’t uniform. As one part is more stable and the other more unbalanced as it comes off the field or dryer, there can be large temperature differentials. The barrier between the bulks can also impact the consistent and even flow of air through them too, potentially increasing the chance of hot spots in places. As a result, there is a greater need for ongoing monitoring and additional aeration spears. Just like creating a stale seedbed to give a crop a good start, ensuring your store is cleaned down and the fabric treated with a suitable store treatment is key to safeguarding quality.

With yields under pressure this year, it’s important that anything in store is kept safe and its quality maintained as much as possible. You have invested a lot during the autumn and spring to give your crop the best chance of maximising yield potential, so to see it compromised by poor storage conditions is sometimes akin to building a house but forgetting to put the roof on!

A key consideration is to consistently monitor grain moisture content (in comparison to the safe storage limits), as it can cause several quality issues if not dealt with in a timely manner. This could be deterioration of quality parameters such as oil content and germination, but it also can lead to other issues such as mould and the development of mycotoxins. The Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB) have a safe storage time calculator which helps you stay on top of drying and cooling at harvest.

If you are thinking about combining crop years, take some time to consider whether this is the right decision. There are risks, but this is also where the support of a Frontier store can help. We can handle both old and new crop to ensure your quality isn’t compromised.

How is grain quality maintained at a Frontier store?

We’re the UK's largest grain storekeeper, with 80% of arable farmers located within 40 miles of one of our facilities. We have a network of locations nationwide, with capacity to store a range of commodities and can offer a variety of marketing options and movement solutions.

Once crop arrives at one of our stores, our dedicated laboratory and quality assurance teams work closely with our storekeepers and site managers to ensure that any product arriving during the harvest period leaves testing exactly the same further down the line.

This involves carrying out an industry-approved method to ensure that a fair and representative sample is taken from the lorry on the weighbridge, which is then subjected to a host of high-accuracy testing depending on what the crop is.

Accuracy is crucial, as it ensures our customers can maximise the potential value of the crop and our storekeepers have a true understanding of the characteristics of product in store.

Our laboratory tests use some of the latest near infra-red (NIR), oil analysis and fungal analysis equipment on the market, and our teams have extensive knowledge across differing specialities and crop varieties.

This is important for:

1. Making sure our customers know the standard of their spec across all tonnages

2. Ensuring food, feed and drink manufacturers receive the variety best suited to produce their commodity to the correct spec

3. The storekeeper to know so they can handle the grain accordingly.

Finally, testing at this stage ensures that custody of the grain is transferred correctly from farmer to professional storekeeper, and that traceability along the supply chain is maintained.

Carrying out safe self-sampling as grain comes into store

Self-sampling your grain is the best way to get a sound understanding of your crop and therefore how best to market it. Taking incremental samples from each load as it comes into the store or off the drier is the safest, most efficient and accurate method.

You can follow the steps to accurately and safely self-sample your grain by watching this video.

Once grain sample results become available, they can be accessed via our online platform, MyFarm, which is free to all Frontier customers.

More recently, the EU has introduced several new regulations related to mycotoxins. These updates aim to:

• Simplify existing regulations

• Update thresholds for certain mycotoxins and other commodities (such as deoxynivalenol)

• Bring changes to the sampling process

• Introduce a new requirement for testing the T2 and HT2 mycotoxins.

The UK is maintaining current legislation, but some consumers may now quote the EU regulations in their contracts. If products are exported to the EU and NI, those goods will need to comply with the EU.

Guidance around grain storage and movement compliance can be found on the Red Tractor website, and the 2025 combinable crops grain passport can be downloaded from the AIC.

I think we can all agree that no two seasons are the same in farming, and that’s certainly been demonstrated in recent times. It’s therefore important to consider whether your grain storage solutions are sufficient. Have you done everything to ensure the quality of your grain is maintained? Could you benefit from help and access to additional storage options?

Given the investment you make into your crops each year, we understand the importance of ensuring they are stored safely and that their quality is protected.

If you’d like support with your storage needs or have questions about anything mentioned above, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by emailing info@frontierag.co.uk or calling 0800 227445.