A Manitoba farm group is concerned harvested grain could spoil due to rules preventing producers from using new grain dryers until they have been inspected.
Wet weather over the last few weeks has forced farmers across much of Western Canada to harvest their crops at moisture levels that are higher than ideal for storage. As a result, there’s high demand for grain drying equipment and capacity.
It’s also creating a major headache for farmers in Manitoba, says Doug Chorney, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, in the interview below.
Grain dryers in Manitoba must be inspected by the provincial fire commissioner’s office before they can be used, but Chorney says inspectors can’t keep up with all the new dryer installations. To prevent having grain go bad in the meantime, KAP is asking for an exception to the rules that would allow farmers to use new dryers prior to inspection if they’re set up by licensed installers.
KAP is suggesting the fire commissioner’s office survey how other provinces oversee grain dryer installations, as Chorney says farmers in Alberta and Saskatchewan don’t have to go through the same permitting process to use drying equipment.
Doug Chorney describes concerns that grain may spoil if Manitoba farmers can’t use new drying equipment:
Click here if you can’t see the audio.
