By Alice McFarlane

Managing grain in storage

Nov 2, 2020 | 10:45 AM

MELFORT, Sask. – This is a good time for producers to check their bins for heating. Regular monitoring of grain storage for temperature change always gives the best chance to address concerns before they become a problem.

Canola Council of Canada agronomy specialist Justine Cornelsen said it is better to be safe than sorry.

“Thankfully, we had a nicer harvest season this year so things were coming off dry so there should be less risk within the bins,” Cornelsen said. “But make sure that things are cooling down properly and they’re not developing any hot pockets.”

Temperatures will be going up this week. Cornelsen said fluctuations in the outside environment can affect the contents of the bin.

“If there was something that potentially had some green seed in it, make sure you are flipping them and rotating them, using your bin monitors and making sure everything is stable right now,” she said.

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Ministry of Agriculture crops extension specialist Kim Stonehouse said larger bin sizes present new challenges for producers.

“Small diameter bins that hold 2,000 bushels or less, cool quickly and relatively evenly. Larger bins take longer to cool, can have large temperature gradients and can represent a greater time commitment to manage,” Stonehouse said.

Warm grain that was still respiring when put in the bin can sometimes bring surprises if not monitored closely and conditioned when necessary.

“Recommendations have always suggested to cool the grain to below 10 degrees as soon as possible. Hopefully, this has already occurred,” Stonehouse said. “Due to the insulation effect in larger bins, there is still the potential to have temperature gradients from the outside to the centre.”

Stonehouse said to reduce this moisture migration it is recommended to focus more on maintaining an even grain temperature until the grain gets close to zero degrees.

This can be accomplished through aeration or by moving grain. In extreme situations storage volumes may need to be reduced by only partially filling larger bins.

“Moving small amounts or turning the grain to control temperature and moisture migration can be effective if it is the core that is moved,” Stonehouse said. “This is easily accomplished with a central unloading system like a hopper bottom bin.”

With large flat bottom bins, it is very difficult to move just the core and quite often the entire bin will have to be turned.

Stonehouse said increased moisture migration could result in problems with mold and insects.

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alice.mcfarlane@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @AliceMcF