Grain storage innovation needed

In this, part one of a two-part series, Mariana Purnell, a consultant with eGrain, a provider of electronic warehouse receipts for the grain industry, discusses the challenges that changes to grain quality control pose for the industry. In particular, she focuses on producing maize according to particular standards for niche

Numerous new opportunities were proposed at the recent Agbiz Grain Symposium as role players in the grain value chain brought their wish lists to the table. The major focus was on quality differentiation, which would ultimately optimise processing capabilities.

The wish list was as follows:

• A super grade for white maize with improved milling properties such as grain hardness and hectolitre mass (HLM).

• Higher-protein maize; for example, 8% protein instead of 6%.

• Delivering soya bean at a higher moisture content.

• Sunflower with a higher oil content.

Millers, animal feed manufacturers and oil processors all promise to incentivise farmers by paying premiums for these sought-after qualities, and farmers are eager to comply in order to overcome a serious profitability pinch. But the urgent need to unlock every possible opportunity comes at a cost, and there is a catch.

The role players demand a passport system with documented proof of good agricultural practices. However, most of these inherent qualities are genetically based, and expression is subject to the soil type and environment, which are beyond the farmer’s control.

In addition, from a plant-breeding perspective, there is ample evidence of an inverse relation between yield and quality. Will the market fairly compensate producers for the added value if they move to high-quality yet lower-yielding varieties?