The "Do's and Don'ts" of Flooded Grain

With disastrous flooding going on in the Midwest, it is important to remember the "do's and don'ts" of grain impacted by flood water.

Dr. Charles Hurburgh of the Iowa Grain Quality Initiative says the first thing to remember about flooded grain is under moving river water, it is considered adulterated.

"That means it can't go into trade and market channels. Well, the reason is pretty simple: there were how many sewage treatment plants were over-topped in northwest Iowa? It was 20-some I think?"

With grain impacted by water, Hurburgh says you can try to get the good stuff off the top.

"Get a good sample and have it grade, and have it tested, including for mycotoxins, because even if it's sitting above flood water it's been very humid, and we could have had mold growth and toxin production in it."

Hurburgh says the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS), will notify producers of grain salvage situations. However, the grain in the water exposed to mycotoxins, heavy metals, and sewage, needs to be disposed of.

"In 2019, the DNR allowed land application, in other words, a manure spreader, to get rid of it over land surfaces, and I expect that's the same situation this year. But if you have that situation, you should contact the DNR."

As he said before, this applies to the grain under flooded river water, but Hurburgh adds, there is a difference between that versus the barnyard alone filling up with water.

"It can be salvaged, and there's where the IDALS comes in, insofar as giving permissions to what tests need to be run and so forth."

The last flood recommendation was to take a sample to an official grader.

"And it may be we will be able to use it again, once dried out, but if it had moving river water through it, no, it can't be used. It's a land application situation."

Source: KMA