Flaman Rentals Blog

Grain Bag Storage Maintenance Tips

Posted by Calla Simpson Oct 07, 2020

Below you’ll find tips on the preparation and maintenance steps required to ensure that grain bagging is a successful storage option for your operation.

Site preparation makes for easier maintenance 

Selecting the right site for your grain and production is key. It’s best to select a site that is accessible even when the weather is wet, and located in the open to help deter animals. Once an appropriate site has been found, preparing the site is the first step required to set yourself up for easier maintenance.

First, remove any debris such as sticks or sharp objects, then grade the site and ensure the ground is firmly rolled to prevent the grain bags from sinking or water pooling around them. If possible, spray the site with a rodent deterrent to prevent mice and vermin from burrowing under the bags once laid. If proper preparation is not completed, then the bag may not be impervious to air or liquid and can lead to grain spoiling. 

Site maintenance once bags are laid and full 

The biggest threat to the filled grain bags is animals, especially during the winter months. Snow can create drifts for deer to climb onto the bags, however, using pallets at the ends can deter them. An electric fence, or any sturdy fence, can be used to keep bears and deer away. Year-round, mice pose the biggest risk to the bags as they are known to burrow under, weakening the soil and allowing water to pool, and also chewing through the bag material causing wastage and grain spoilage.

Bird damage is another threat that ongoing site inspections and bag maintenance can help prevent. Birds like to land on the bags, pecking bags to access insects stored within the grain. Using Grain Bag Armor is one of the best methods of preventing bag damage. 

Regular inspections of the bags are needed to ensure no damage from animals, weather, or insects. During wet weather, if the number of mice and vermin are up, then daily bag checks may be required to ensure they stay unharmed. In normal weather conditions, check weekly at a minimum. If there are any punctures, rips, or other damage visible, patching these will prevent moisture from spoiling the grain.

Machine servicing and maintenance

Regular maintenance of Grain Baggers and Grain Extractors helps ensure minimal downtime. Reading and following the manufacturer’s manual is key to keeping these machines in top condition. The manuals describe in detail the following mechanisms and their respective maintenance – the driveline, shear bolts, drive chain tension, and alignment along with the following items needing servicing – fluids and lubricants, auger wear plates, greasing, and servicing intervals. There is also a section on troubleshooting typical issues that can arise such as augers not running, the machine doesn’t move or low unloading capacity.

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Now offering discounted pallet pricing when you buy four or more pallets of grain bags. For more information, talk to one of our agriculture specialists at your nearest Flaman location. 

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Click here to view the original blog post by our friends at Pro Grain Equipment.

Beat the Weather with Grain Bagging

Posted by Calla Simpson Sep 11, 2020

The benefits of grain bagging are far and wide, chief among them being the ability to use the weather to your advantage. Since the weather can always turn and change on a dime, it’s important to work around it whenever possible, which is where grain bagging comes in. The airtight, controlled environment inside of a grain bag allows you to store grain and plentiful harvest in a dry space, even when the weather outside is less than ideal. By extending the storage life of your grain, allowing you to store more at once and giving you more flexibility in the way you do so, grain bagging gives people the option to have more options.

Pro Grain Equipment is most passionate about keeping operations running in all weather and situations, saving customers time and money. By grain bagging, you can get your crops off of the field by planning around severe weather to improve efficiency on all sides. The Pro Grain lineup of baggers and extractors work so you can work less, with impressive specs, heavy-duty designs, and improved ease and efficiency for your harvest.

Tip 1: Don’t push the limits of your grain.

Grain bagging allows for safer storage of grain, even during periods of severe weather and freezing temperatures. However, patience is key here. When loading the bags, the weather outside needs to be cool, and the bags should be sealed immediately to ensure that your grain isn’t sitting at a higher temperature than the outside environment. For grain with higher moisture levels, it needs to be dried as soon as possible after the winter season is over. Grain with a lower moisture content can stay in the bags a little bit longer. However, regular temperature monitoring is paramount to making sure that your grain stays in good condition.

Tip 2: Be smart about storage.

Severe weather comes with the territory when farming, and simply when doing anything related to the outside weather. Choosing a storage space that makes sense for your grain is of the utmost importance. When storing grain, look for a place that is highly elevated and away from any sort of drainage that could seep into your bags. You won’t want to store your grain in any manner that could allow natural drainage to affect it, especially during severe storms or periods of melting ice. Before choosing the storage spot for your grain, it should be examined closely to ensure a lack of flooding before severe storms and bad weather. Even though grain bags provide a dry environment for your grain, they can be more susceptible to bad weather — especially if you’re not strategic about placement. You may also want to look into the possibility of grain armor for your grain storage, which gives an extra layer of protection against both weather and wildlife.

Tip 3: Keep a watchful eye on the grain in severe weather.

Grain should be checked periodically, at least once a week, for punctures from severe weather or issues that can arise because of the outside environment. From cosmetic damage that could severely affect the quality of the grain inside to keeping a watchful eye on the temperature of the grain, it’s important to use the weather outside as a gauge for what’s inside your grain bags. By placing the bags in a north to south manner when storing them, the sun will heat the bags evenly for a more consistent environment inside the bags, regardless of the weather.

Tip 4: Be strategic about your timing for a better crop.

One of the biggest benefits of grain bagging is the added ability to increase efficiency by bagging grain right in the field. When you’re expecting severe weather around harvest, grain bagging allows you to control when the crop is loaded into the bags and the condition of the grain. Since grain bagging is a quicker alternative to more traditional means, it allows you to get to your crop before the weather does. Once the grain is in the bag, it’s essentially going to stay the same moisture as when you put it in. By being careful and strategic about your timing, you’ll be able to better store your crop and do so around bad weather.


A Pro Grain bagger in action during Harvest 2019

To learn more about grain bagging and to see which grain bagging products could improve your harvest capabilities, get in touch with us. We would be happy to walk you through everything you require for your grain bagging needs and answer any questions you might have.

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Now offering discounted pallet pricing when you buy four or more pallets of grain bags. For more information, talk to one of our agriculture specialists at your nearest Flaman location. 

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Click here to view the original blog post by our friends at Pro Grain Equipment.

How to Address Farming Challenges with the Right Equipment

Posted by Calla Simpson Aug 20, 2020

As we begin to enter the new days of the upcoming farming season, there’s one constant: the harvest challenges that will lie ahead. A huge part of being in the farming business is being able to anticipate challenges and to pivot to them, and every good farmer understands that. However, every good farmer also desires to rise above the challenges presented to them, which is where the right equipment and the right mindset come into play.

In the 2019 harvest season, we saw challenges ranging from supply chain management issues and an excess of labour costs to late harvest starts, inclement fall weather, the prediction of lowered storage availability, and an abundance of leftover crops. As the 2020 season begins to come to shape overhead, it’s our job as farmers to think ahead and problem solve the best way we know how.

A great way to pivot and stay on top of things is through the use of grain bags, which have been a huge help to farmers looking for ways to minimize cost along with improving harvest efficiency.

Challenges farmers are facing in 2020

The 2020 harvest season is a unique one as the COVID-19 pandemic hit the globe and affected each and every farm operation. As farmers, the job is always to continue harvesting and providing for others — which can sometimes prove to be a hard thing. As we enter a new season, the issues facing farmers are:

Storage: there is a struggle to find adequate storage space for grain and harvest amid the pandemic.
Supply Chain Issues: stemming from a lowered labour force and leftover grain.
Inventory: confusion in inventory forecasting.
Physical Distancing: the need for physical distancing and increased health measures among labour forces on farms.

How can grain bags help farming challenges?

Flexibility is everything when it comes to farming, whether it be through finding new storage methods or by looking for new ways to cut costs. By using grain bags in your farming operation, you’ll be able to deal with many of the common farm operation challenges that harvesters are facing in 2020.

You’re also able to maximize space and minimizing risk (both financially and personally). The addition of grain bagging equipment and grain bags leads to optimized space on your farm, as well as a lowered need for labour, grain transportation, and grain storage. Here’s how:

Flexible Storage: grain bags allow you to store your harvest directly on your land, completely eliminating the need for extra labour to transport and store grain externally.
Reduced Costs: grain bags simply cost less than other grain storage methods — up to 2/3 less — making them a no-brainer when it comes to downsizing costs in your farming operation.
Increased Productivity: grain bags allow for better time management in your harvesting operation, from less downtime on the combines to more productivity from the workforce at hand.
Harvest Faster: grain bags are helpful when it comes to supply chain issues and excess crops, as they’ll keep your harvest safe from wildlife, spoilage, and weather while you wait.
Increased Efficiency: grain bags help to deal with varied demand, as they offer both efficiency and storage to assist with your needs.



When it comes to challenges, farmers are no stranger to making it work. Farmers are more able to pivot than any other profession in the world, whether it be from weather, cost, or even global pandemics. With grain bags, you’ll be able to take some pressure off of your shoulders when it comes to incoming farming challenges.

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Now offering discounted pallet pricing when you buy four or more pallets of grain bags. For more information, talk to one of our agriculture specialists at your nearest Flaman location. 

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Click here to view the original blog post by our friends at Pro Grain Equipment.