Buying your grain in bulk is one of the best ways to save money. Unlike other foods with short shelf-lives, grain keeps for many months at a time, making it a prudent investment for many enterprises. If your needs require corn, soybeans, wheat, or oats, you can buy in bulk from Allied Cooperative, the leading source of farming services throughout Adams, Blair, Mauston, Tomah, and other surrounding areas.

When you’re ready to make your order, keep the following tips in mind to ensure the easiest experience:

• Prepare a Convenient Delivery Site: If your long-term storage facility isn’t easily accessible by road, prepare an easier place for your delivery driver to leave your shipment. Leave yourself an easy path to the main storage area too.

• Double-Check Your Estimate: Make sure your grain supplier knows exactly how much product you require and the type of location they’ll be delivering to.

• Maintain a Cool & Dry Storage Environment: To ensure your grain won’t spoil, maintain a dry storage environment, with temperatures between 45 and 65 degrees. Avoid shining bright lights near your grain.

• Implement Pest Control: The harsh truth about grain is that it may have insect eggs, but you can prevent them from hatching. One well-known method involves suffocating the eggs with dry ice. You can also control insects using food-grade diatomaceous earth (DE), which is harmless to people and animals, but lethal for bugs.

• Use Air-Tight Seals: Once you’ve taken steps to neutralize insect eggs, keep your grain safe from future pests by repacking your bulk grain either into vacuum-sealed bags for small quantities or buckets with air-tight lids for larger ones.

Buying grain in bulk is a lot of work, but the savings make it worth it for farmers across Wisconsin. To request an estimate from Allied Cooperative, give them a call at (800) 247-5679. Visit their website to find the grain storage facility nearest you.