Grain Protectants

Prevent Insect Damage. Protect Quality. Preserve Profit.

Grain protectants are one of the most cost-effective tools available to protect stored commodities. FSS supplies professional-grade grain protectants to commercial grain elevators, large-scale farmers, feed mills, and animal nutrition facilities across the United States.

Whether you manage 50,000 bushels or 5 million, we provide the products, calculators, and application systems needed to protect your grain from stored product insects before losses occur.

Shop Grain Protectants

Why Grain Protectants Matter

For grain elevators and feed mills, protecting quality protects margins.

Stored product insects can cause:

Weight loss
Grade reduction
Dockage penalties
Hot spots and moisture migration
Mold development
Customer rejection

Preventive protection is significantly less expensive than many other options such as repeated fumigation, grain blending losses, market discounts, or costly product recalls.

Grain Protectant Calculator

Grain Protectant Calculator BETA

How to use: choose your grain protectant and commodity, enter your bushels (or tons), and the calculator shows exactly how much product you need to protect stored grain from insects — Diacon® IGR, Gravista®, Insecto® DE and more — then adds it to your cart to order online.

Product

Commodity

Protection level (higher = longer residual)

Amount

Estimates only; prices confirmed at checkout. Always read and follow the product label. Apply only by appropriately licensed/certified applicators in accordance with all federal, state, and local regulations.

Our Grain Protectant Product Line

Insecto® is one of the most widely used grain protectants in the industry and one of our top-selling products. It is a diatomaceous earth-based protectant that provides mechanical insect control and leaves no chemical residue. This product is suitable for conventional and many organic programs and can be applied directly to grain as it is loaded.

Farmers who have used Insecto trust this product specifically for its long residual protection, lack of resistance concerns, compatibility with aeration programs, and its ease of integration into part of a preventive IPM.

Insecto® Is Ideal For Treating

Corn
Wheat
Rice
Small grains
Seed storage

Shop Insecto

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a grain protectant, and how is it different from a fumigant?

A grain protectant is an insecticide applied directly to grain as it goes into storage to prevent insect infestations from developing. Unlike a fumigant, which is a gas that eliminates an existing infestation during a short exposure period, a protectant coats the grain and provides weeks to months of residual protection while the grain is stored.

When should I apply a grain protectant?

Protectants work best on clean, dry grain treated at binning, as it is augered or conveyed into storage, so the product coats the kernels evenly. Treating at storage is a preventive step; it is much harder to protect grain after insects are already established, which usually calls for fumigation instead.

Which grain protectant should I use?

It depends on the grain, how long you plan to store it, and your target pests. Many operations use an insect growth regulator, or an IGR paired with a contact insecticide, for broad and long-lasting control. Our team can help you build a protectant program around your commodity and storage plan.

Do grain protectants stop an infestation that has already started?

Protectants are designed to prevent infestations, not to clean up a heavy, established one. If live insects are already spread through the grain mass, fumigation is typically the right tool, and a protectant can then help keep the grain clean afterward.

How long do grain protectants stay effective?

Residual life varies by product, application rate, grain moisture, and temperature, ranging from a few weeks to a full storage season. Follow the label rate for your target pests and storage period, and monitor regularly with traps and sampling so you can act early if pest activity rises.

Do I need a license to buy grain protectants?

Many grain protectants are general-use products that do not require a restricted-use license, though you must always follow the label directions and rates. If a specific product is classified as Restricted Use, FSS will verify your applicator license before shipping, and our team will let you know during the order.

Products