Farmers who harvest moist grain this year should not overfill their bins because it can make a big difference in how quickly the grain dries.
Leaving grain peaked in the centre of bins substantially extends drying time, according to grain storage guidelines from Agriculture Canada’s Cereal Research Centre in Winnipeg.
“If it’s not levelled you tend to have a peak in the middle and you have a shorter air path up the sides and a longer one up the centre,” said Noel White of the research centre.
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“So you’ll tend to get the sides dry first, because that’s the path of least resistance for air, and you’ll end up with a little damp pocket right in the cone.”
In one field test, a peak of grain accounted for a seven percent increase in grain volume but drying time increased 50 percent. A peak that increased grain volume by 10 percent lengthened drying time by 80 percent.
There is temptation to leave grain peaked in the centre of the cone to take advantage of the storage space under the roof cone and because of the extra work that levelling requires, but it can lead to spoiling near the top of the cone.
Digvir Jayas, grain storage and drying specialist at the University of Manitoba, said producers can use a grain spreader to level bins, but should be careful not to compact the grain.
“Grain spreaders do level but they compact grain, so the density increases and the air flow resistance increases. When you increase the resistance and have the same size fan, your amount of air going through the grain decreases. If you want to maintain the same air flow rate, you have to then reduce the depth of grain.”
However, he advised producers that when using a spreader they should either increase the fan size or fill the bin to a lower than normal height.
More tips regarding grain storage are available by ordering the Canadian Grain Storage CD-ROM from the Cereal Research Centre at 204-983-5533, e-mailing CanStore@agr.gc.ca or go to www.producer.com and type grain drying into the go box.
