Stored badly, fertiliser absorbs moisture, cakes and loses its usefulness, and the farmer loses money. Agricare24 sets out a few storage rules that help farmers, dealers and warehouse operators alike.
A dry, clean room: the store must be dry, clean and well ventilated. Protect sacks from rain, roof leaks and excess humidity, and keep them on dry pallets or a raised platform rather than directly on the floor.
Care in handling: never use hooks to lift sacks, which tears them and spills fertiliser, and do not drag them along the ground. Keep them covered from rain and water in transport. Many fertilisers cake in humid conditions, so keep sacks tightly closed and follow the manufacturer's storage instructions for each type.
Stack carefully: stack sacks stably so they cannot collapse and cause accidents, do not pile them too high, leave a gap from walls and roof, and keep different fertilisers apart.
First in, first out: mark each sack with its purchase date, type and batch number so older stock is used first and nothing spoils from sitting too long. Do not store grain, animal feed or seed in the fertiliser store, and keep products such as urea and ammonium nitrate separate in line with their safety instructions.
Photo: Brian Lehnhardt / Wikimedia Commons (public domain); stacking fertiliser bags, for illustration
Source: Agricare24
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