Obert Chifamba Agri-Insight
Not infrequently, farmers in contract arrangements find themselves trapped between the twin gates of fear and principle, madness and loyalty after receiving inputs well beyond their expected time of use.Their dilemma lies in whether to use the inputs or not, yet the contractor will be expecting them to re-pay the loaned inputs, come the end of the season.
Some have in many cases sold them out of frustration or just dumped them in their homes with the intention of using them the following season. The big question is do those farmers that choose to carry them over to the next season store them properly so that they will still be viable when they will be eventually used?
Today I will look at how carry-over stocks of inputs can be safely stored for later use without compromising their effectiveness. While the availability of inputs after their prime time of use has passed is highly demoralising to the farmer, it does not always have to sound the death knell for his ambitions.
He can always turn the disadvantage into an advantage though it comes with a cost. Instead of selling the inputs or dejectedly dumping them in his home, the farmer can be guaranteed of a head start the following season if he keeps them properly.
The positive thing is that he will not need capital to buy replica inputs so production costs get slightly reduced while in terms of beating deadlines, that farmer may easily be miles ahead of the rest.
Seed, fertilisers and chemicals usually form the bulk of carry-over stock that a farmer needs to safely stash away for the future. Rule of thumb, whatever the farmer keeps as carry-over stock must be left in the original package to avoid inadvertent mix-ups. Where the original holding package is no longer available, it is critical to put a label on the new container.
If stock is stored in containers that are not original and is not labelled, there are very high chances of the farmer or someone using the wrong stuff without noticing and when they eventually realise it, the damage would have been done and time would also have gone.
Carry-over stock must be stored in cool dry rooms that have adequate ventilation to discourage dampness, as moisture can easily invade from either the floor or walls, which also makes it crucial to have the packs of stock on pallets to completely break contact with the floor. The stock should also be at least 60 centimetres from the walls.
Seed from carry-over stock should be sent to the supplier for viability testing before it is used for a new season after being stored for a long time at the farmer’s premises. Suppliers do that service for free.
The storage facility should not be prone to leaking, which may allow liquids to contaminate the stock while rodents are also the farmer’s next biggest concern. That taken care of, the farmer then needs to make sure the storage facility is out of reach of children.
It is also crucial to have records of the carry-over stock. The quantities and names should all be reflected in the records.
For fertilisers the storage conditions are still the same with those of seed but the golden rule here is that the two must never be stored close to each other.
Fertiliser is known to generate heat even under storage conditions and that heat may easily affect the seed’s germination potential.
Compound D and Ammonium Nitrate fertilisers, for instance, must be stored separately because if they are allowed to mix even through accidental breakages, unintended blending happens and this will change the original chemical content of either fertiliser and so will be its effect on crops upon application.
Then there are chemicals such as herbicides and pesticides that many farmers are using today. These, like all other carry-over stock, must be stored sealed in their original containers.
The containers again need elaborate labelling to guard against possible mix-ups. Before storage the farmer also needs to check the expiry dates of the chemicals lest he keeps them until such a time when they are no longer useful.
Storing things for another season is not only restricted to inputs. It also applies to implements that the farmer uses on a daily basis.
Such implements must also be cleaned of mud and stored dry. The farmer also needs to take stock of their numbers and physical condition so that if there are any that need repairs, he does them during the off-season break.
As the farmer waits for a fresh season, he needs to service and repair or even replace some pieces of equipment. It is necessary for the farmer to do the repairs or replacements immediately after the end of the season when they still have some bit of cash from selling produce.
Some implements need to be stored greased, so the farmer needs to make sure he does just that.
All implements must be stored in dry facilities where there is no direct sunlight. Tractors, for example, must have a full tank of fuel when they are parked for storage.
This is necessary because if the tank is not full, chances are very high that the air trapped inside can later condense into droplets of water, which when they mix with the fuel can damage injectors later.
The last very important resource the farmer also needs to keep well for a new season is the labour force. Workers need to be granted days of leave during the off-season break, or may even be enrolled for training. Also, giving them bonuses after a good season is not a bad idea after all. Actually, it motivates them!
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