storage clamp

{{Short description|Type of storage of agricultural products}}

Image:Zuckerrübenberg.jpg

A clamp is a compact heap, mound or pile of materials."Cramp, n.3." Oxford English Dictionary Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009 A storage clamp is used in the agricultural industry for temporary storage of root crops such as potato, turnip, rutabaga, mangelwurzel, and sugar beet.

A clamp is formed by excavating a shallow rectangular depression in a field to make a base for the clamp. Root crops are then stacked onto the base up to a height of about {{cvt|2|m}}. When the clamp is full, the earth scraped from the field to make the base is then used to cover the root crops to a depth of several inches. Straw or old hay may be used to protect the upper surface from rain erosion.

A well-made clamp will keep the vegetables cool and dry for many{{Vague|date=September 2024}} months. Most clamps are relatively long and narrow, allowing the crops to be progressively removed from one end without disturbing the remaining vegetables. The use of a clamp allows a farmer to feed vegetables into market over many months.