GRAIN STORAGE & CONDITIONING: 4 tips to help prevent loss due to spoilage!
by Randy Coffee, VP of Sales & Marketing (&) Rodie Jelleberg, Dryer Division Head & Customer Service Manager
As we approach Harvest 2019, it’s important to consider the best practices to prepare your grain for storage and maintain the correct conditions once in the bin. Here are a few tips that will help to prevent loss due to spoilage:
- Have a proper system in place to actively monitor grain temperatures in the bin. Various monitoring options are available, including manual, automated and wireless systems that can pinpoint “hot spots” and help to eliminate moisture migration within the bin.
- Appropriate implementation of ventilation components: It’s critical that the fans, roof vents, and roof exhaust systems are matched to work together in consideration with the size of the storage bin and the type of commodity being stored.
- Know your EMC: Understanding Equilibrium Moisture Control (EMC) and how outside temperature and humidity affect in-bin drying will help you manage moisture points correctly with your system. There are many online EMC calculators to help assist you to determine if conditions are right for in-bin drying… or inverse, re-wetting… to get your grain to the right moisture percentage.
- Understand the limitations: In-bin drying can only bring moisture down so many points, and in-field drying has its limitations as well (ie. field loss). So, in some cases, the best option might be for one to look at utilizing a high-temp drying system.
Proper conditioning before/during the storage process is imperative if you want to prevent loss from spoilage and ensure the best price for your stored commodities when it’s time to sell.
Learn more about Superior Storage Systems & Superior Mixed-Flow Grain Dryers by clicking on the below links:
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