Grain growers face costly nightmare of 'clumped' fertiliser
A farmer in Victoria's north-west has taken extreme measures to salvage his stored fertiliser by smashing six silos worth $150,000 to the ground so that he can use it.
Terry Kiley had hundreds of tonnes of fertiliser stored in silos on his farm in the Mallee ready to go for this year's winter crops.
But when he went to use it, it was stuck together.
"We just couldn't shift it," he said.
"We tried vibrating (the silo) and drilling holes in the cones of the silos but it wouldn't run out, so we've pushed three [silos] over to get it out, and we've got another three we're deciding what to do with.
Peak grower organisation Grain Producers Australia (GPA) said it had received numerous reports of fertiliser quality problems this season.
"Our members have certainly raised concerns about the quality of product," said GPA chief executive Colin Bettles.
"We're looking at what options we have to take action on it and we're engaging with [industry group] Fertilizer Australia."
Mr Bettles urged affected farmers to document the problems and speak to their suppliers.
Suppliers warn farmers against storing fertiliser in silos, given the risk it can set hard, instead advising them to store it in sheds.
But manufacturers still market fertiliser-specific silos, and many farmers buy them because they are cheaper and more practical.
Mr Kiley's fertiliser was imported by Koch Fertiliser Australia.
He contacted the company to report the problems but said he was frustrated by their response.
"The blend we ran into issues with we've been using [without problems] for probably 25 years," Mr Kiley said.
"It's got to be a quality issue, but they just cover their arse by telling you not to store it in silos."
In the NSW central west at Forbes, grain grower Jarrod Amery has had endless headaches handling fertiliser this sowing season.
"We had one particular load that was a shocker," he said.
He said he believed the underlying issues were twofold — high moisture and a lot of fine particles.
Not only has the fertiliser destroyed his silo it's also blocking up his air seeder.
"We're only getting three or four hectares of sowing done and the rollers are starting to block up, so it's been a challenge," he said.
Mr Amery's fertiliser was also imported by Koch Fertiliser Australia.
When he first went to the company about the problems, he said he was told his issues were isolated.
"Well I pushed pretty hard on that," he said.
Koch Fertiliser Australia declined ABC Rural's request for an interview to discuss the concerns.
In a statement, managing director Ross York confirmed it had received reports about issues with its products.
But he reiterated that farmers were advised not to use silos for fertiliser.
"As stated on our label and our website we encourage farmers not to store bulk fertilisers in field bins or silos," he said.
"The hygroscopic nature of these products can prevent their free-flowing and may lead to the collapse of the field bin or silo."
According to Fertilizer Australia about 5.4 million tonnes of fertiliser is used in Australia each year.
Some is manufactured in Australia and the rest is imported from overseas including China, the Middle East, Morocco and South America.
Fertilizer Australia's executive manager Stephen Annells backed Koch's position about on-farm storage for fertiliser.
"We've always held a very strong position that we recommend fertiliser shouldn't be placed in silos and really that growers do that at their own risk," he said.
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