{"id":12815,"date":"2014-10-21T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-10-20T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/drying-and-storing-grain\/"},"modified":"2014-10-21T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-10-20T11:00:00","slug":"drying-and-storing-grain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.farmersweekly.co.nz\/news\/drying-and-storing-grain\/","title":{"rendered":"Drying and storing grain"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

Moisture levels in crops at harvest\u00a0time would often be higher than levels\u00a0recommended for safe storage.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a good year you could harvest\u00a0wheat or barley at 14% moisture and it\u00a0would be fine to store without requiring\u00a0drying,\u201d Pyke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a year like this it would often have\u00a0been higher, possibly 16-18%, so it would\u00a0have to be dried and cooled.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maize always needed drying because of\u00a0its high moisture content at harvest.<\/p>\n

For wheat, barley and maize, 14%\u00a0moisture was ideal for long-term storage.<\/p>\n

After drying, the grain and seed would\u00a0need cooling, down to 15C before\u00a0it was ready for long-term storage.\u00a0If the grain was going to be fed straight\u00a0away, higher moisture levels made it\u00a0cheaper to produce and did not affect\u00a0the feed value to cows.<\/p>\n

However, when\u00a0farmers stored grain they often would not\u00a0know exactly how long it would be in\u00a0storage for. Growers sometimes delayed\u00a0harvest, hoping for better conditions and\u00a0more favourable moisture levels in their\u00a0crop to save on drying costs.<\/p>\n

Pyke said that could backfire if the\u00a0quality deteriorated in the field while\u00a0awaiting harvest.<\/p>\n

\n

Ideally, the moisture content in your wheat, barley and maize should be at 14% moisture for long-term storage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The risk of rising temperatures and\u00a0moisture levels was relatively low during\u00a0the first three months, but after that\u00a0storage conditions should be monitored\u00a0every month or even fortnightly.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the first three months probably not\u00a0much is happening because it\u2019s relatively\u00a0dry and low in moisture, but after that\u00a0things can go downhill pretty quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

If moisture and heat was found to be\u00a0rising, the grain or seed needed to be\u00a0removed, then dried and cooled again.<\/p>\n

If stored in an aerated silo, cool air\u00a0(such as that on a cool, frosty night) could\u00a0be pulled through the silo, cooling the\u00a0grain and removing moisture.<\/p>\n

Pyke said sucking air through a silo was\u00a0not a huge cost, but having to put heat\u00a0in a system for more drying could add\u00a0significant cost.<\/p>\n

Insect invasions could be managed\u00a0by post-harvest fumigation, but it was\u00a0usually an indication that something had\u00a0not been done particularly well during\u00a0storage.<\/p>\n

Silos and storage facilities needed\u00a0to be thoroughly cleaned between storage\u00a0every year and treated so no insects could\u00a0survive. Insect problems could also be\u00a0avoided by ensuring there was no grain\u00a0left in any of the equipment used at\u00a0harvest.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen at storage, if you have the right\u00a0moisture content and temperature, the\u00a0problems should be very few and far\u00a0between,\u201d Pyke said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen things go wrong they can go\u00a0wrong quite markedly.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Successful storage of grain and seed begins\u00a0at harvest.\nFoundation for Arable Research (FAR)\u00a0chief executive Nick Pyke said moisture\u00a0levels in grain or seed at harvest time\u00a0varied depending on the season and type\u00a0of crop.\n\nFor more information the FAR\u00a0publication The Drying and Storage of Grain and Herbage Seed\u00a0is available from\u00a0www.far.org.nz.\n\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":12816,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t