On-Farm Grain Storage Is It Your Weakest Link? James Dyck, OMAFRA Engineering Specialist, Crop Systems and Environment FarmSmart 2017 - Guelph
Ontario Grain Storage by the Numbers On-Farm Storage 1999 2,750,000 tonnes 2014 9,439,000 tonnes Commercial Storage 4,200,000 tonnes 5,887,000 tonnes Growth 3.4x 1.4x Data source: Agricorp, Statistics Canada, OABA 2
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Deliver Price Corn* *or beans, wheat, etc Max. At 5
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The of Grain Storage You can t IMPROVE grain quality in the bin but you CAN make it worse 7
Storage Quality Factors 8
How Wet is Too Wet? Maximum recommended moisture contents for safe storage Source: NDSU Publ. AE701 Grain ing 9
Allowable Storage Time Spoils faster Spoils slower Source: NDSU 10
Allowable Storage Time Spoils faster Spoils slower Source: USDA Research, Iowa State University; Transactions of ASAE 333-337 11
Allowable Storage Time Spoils faster Spoils slower Source: NDSU 12
Tweaking ing Temperature Measure harvest test weight Set plenum temperature, begin drying Measure dried test weight Reduce plenum temperature 10 F Measure dried test weight again If test weight increasing reduce 10 F When dried test weight doesn t change increase plenum temp 10 F GOAL: Slower drying = HIGHER QUALITY Source: John Gnadke, Advanced Grain Systems Inc. 515 964-9885 13
Fines 14
Coring Bins Fines collect in centre What to do with fines: Feed Sell Source: University of Minnesota 15
? Bin Flow SHORT (H < 1.5x W) TALL (H > 1.5x W) HOPPER 16
ing Grain Size separation Screener-Scalpers Vibratory Rotary Gravity Drag-Scalpers Density separation Aspirators 17
Fines Production Rule of thumb: For every 2-3% increase in damaged kernels, 0.5% weight is lost. Corn average: 0.5% breakage per elevation 18
Grain Breakage MORE High speeds High drop heights Small spouts High-temp-dried Colder Very dry LESS Slow speeds Low drop heights Large spouts Low-temp-dried Warmer Wetter *** 19
How much do you handle your grain? 20
Why? REMOVE field heat EQUALIZE MOISTURE in the bin PREVENT CONVECTIVE AIR MOVEMENT within the grain mass CRITICAL to long-term storage 21
Equilibrium Moisture Content the moisture level grain will reach when exposed to air at a certain temperature and relative humidity 22
EMC Chart Corn Target: 15.5% moisture Air Temperature ( C) EMC (% wet basis) at Relative Humidity 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 0 13.7 15.1 16.6 18.4 21.3 5 13.1 14.4 15.9 17.8 20.7 10 12.5 13.8 15.4 17.3 20.2 15 11.9 13.3 14.9 16.8 19.8 20 11.5 12.8 14.4 16.4 19.4 25 11.0 12.4 14.0 16.0 19.0 23
EMC Chart Soybeans Target: 13% moisture Air Temperature ( C) EMC (% wet basis) at Relative Humidity 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 0 10.0 11.8 13.7 16.2 19.8 5 9.8 11.5 13.5 15.9 19.6 10 9.5 11.2 13.2 15.7 19.4 15 9.2 11.0 13.0 15.5 19.2 20 9.0 10.7 12.8 15.2 19.0 25 8.7 10.5 12.5 15.0 18.8 24
EMC Chart Soft Winter Wheat Target: 14% moisture Air Temperature ( C) EMC (% wet basis) at Relative Humidity 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 0 12.5 13.5 14.6 16.1 18.2 5 12.1 13.1 14.2 15.7 17.9 10 11.7 12.7 13.9 15.3 17.5 15 11.4 12.4 13.5 15.0 17.2 20 11.1 12.1 13.2 14.7 17.0 25 10.8 11.8 13.0 14.4 16.7 25
EMC Chart Hard Winter Wheat Target: 14% moisture Air Temperature ( C) EMC (% wet basis) at Relative Humidity 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 0 13.6 15.1 16.6 17.5 18.5 5 13.1 14.6 16.1 17.9 20.3 10 12.7 14.2 15.7 17.4 19.8 15 11.7 13.1 14.5 17.0 19.3 20 12.1 13.4 14.9 16.5 18.8 25 11.8 13.1 14.5 16.2 18.4 26
BINcast www.weathercentral.ca/bincast.cfm 10-day forecasts of air temperature, relative humidity and EMC Answer the age-old question: When do I turn on my fan??? 27
BINcast 28
BINcast 29
Fan Control Options Computerized 30
Fan Control Options Humidistat 31
Fan Control Options Timer 32
Convective Air Cold Weather 33
Convective Air Warm Weather 34
Time Needed to Change Grain Temp. Airflow Rate Grain Cooling Time (hrs.) L/s/m³ cfm/bu Fall Winter Spring 0.65 1/20 300 400 240 1.3 1/10 150 200 120 2.6 1/5 75 100 60 3.2 1/4 60 80 48 4.3 1/3 45 61 36 6.5 1/2 30 40 24 9.7 3/4 20 27 16 13.0 1 15 20 12 every time the average outdoor temperature changes 8-10 C 35
Understand fan airflow CFM = cubic feet per minute L/s = litres per second Fan HP Static pressure (inches of water column) 0 1 2 3 4 3 5,300 4,500 3,800 3,400 3,000 5 9,500 8,900 7,700 6,700 6,000 7 ½ 12,000 11,300 10,400 9,400 8,600 36
Understand static pressure U-tube manometer 37
Bin Fan Selector Tool http://webapps.bbe.umn.edu/fans/ Input: Grain type Bin size Desired airflow (CFM/bu) Fan size (if known) Output: Required fan size Estimated static pressure Estimated Fan HP Airflow at various depths 38
Bin Fan Selector Tool 39
Bin Fan Selector Tool 40
to prevent insect problems Adapted from Dr. Kenneth Hellevang P.E., North Dakota State University Extension Service 41
bins OFTEN Check bins REGULARLY, minimum monthly Use your EYES to evaluate the grain Colour: bright (not dusty or dull) Moisture on the underside of the bin roof? Signs of insects? Use your NOSE to pick up off odours Check static pressure below the aeration floor Keep WRITTEN RECORDS of inspections 43
ing tools 44
Catching grain bugs 45
Catching grain bugs 46
Catching grain bugs 47
Seeing insects in the grain when you are loading the truck may be TOO LATE to do anything 48
Common stored grain insects Indian meal moth* Rusty grain beetle* Granary weevil Lesser grain borer Grain lice Grain mites * Malathion resistant! 49
Found a bug? Not sure what it is? www.grainscanada.gc.ca/storageentrepose/ipi-iir-eng.htm Eight common insect pests Insect identification tool 50
your value stuff happens Have a backup plan. 51
Production Insurance (Agricorp) only during the period from seeding or planting until harvest loss or damage due to storage conditions is not insured. 52
Produce Insurance (private) Extension of farm insurance Covers crop in transport, storage from harvest to point of sale Named perils vs broad coverage 53
Named Perils (example) Fire Lightning Explosion Smoke Windstorm Hail Riot Earthquake Building collapse Flood Collision / derailment / upset Impact by vehicle Theft What s missing?? Vandalism - insects - poor management 54
yourself No loose clothing Safety boots Safety glasses Hard hat Gloves Hearing protection Respirator Lock out / tag out Safety harness & tether Bin entry protocol Whistle Cell phone BIN BUDDY 55
Force to free 160-lb person from waistdeep grain: Human pulling force: 56
Summary Deliver Corn At Max. Price» grain to preserve it from spoilage» Core bins to remove fines» to maintain bin conditions» to avoid problems developing» value with insurance You can t IMPROVE grain quality in the bin work to maintain the quality you have. Thank you! (905) 562-1679 james.dyck@ontario.ca 57