The United States is one of the leading agricultural nations on the planet. The primary grain that is grown around the country is wheat, which is grown in 42 states. Nearly 75% of all American grain products are from wheat flour. If you run a farm that produces wheat you may always be on the lookout for better grain storage systems. This is especially true if you need to store your grain for a longer period of time.
- Get your grain bins ready. If you need to store your grain for a longer time, your grain storage system has to make use of good quality storage bins. This means before you put new grain in them, all old grain must be thrown away. The bins needs to be cleaned and you need to inspect them to make sure there are no pests or evidence of pests. You should inspect the general area where your grain handling equipment is because insects and rodents have a way of getting into tight spots.
- Harvest great grain. How well your grain handles long term storage is often impacted by the quality of the grain that is harvested. If you know your grain storage system is going to be handling your product for a longer time, starting with better quality grain is the first step in a successful grain storage experience.
- Get the right moisture level. All grain storage companies recommend keeping the product dry. You need to make sure your grain is not too wet if you want to store it successfully. When you are dealing with setting up a long term grain storage system, you need to make sure you can remove the appropriate amount of moisture from your grain. The kind of grain you are storing will determine how dry the situation needs to be. This will also change a big depending on the temperature.
- Work on your aeration system. No good grain storage system can really do its job without decent plant to properly aerate the grain. You will need a good grain spreader. By using repetitive coring techniques, you can improve the aeration of your grain. You can use your grain spreader on bins that are 48 feet or less. You need to keep the fines from pooling in the center of your bins. For bins larger than 48 feet, you will need to pull out bushels of grain every 10 feet. This should give you an inverted cone. This is what is known in grain storage as “repetitive coring.” This is instrumental in removing fines that find their way to the center. Whatever you can go to aerate your grain will help.
- Watch the temperature. Just as you have to be careful with the amount of moisture in your grain storage system, you need to watch the temperature. The aeration system you use will have a big impact on the temperature of your grain. Having temperature cables give you a way to monitor the temperature in your grain storage bins. There is no one temperature that works all year round and in every part of the country where grain is produced. This is totally dependent on the part of the country where you run your business and the season. Many experts recommend keeping the grain at about 40 degrees Fahrenheit during colder months and at about 50 degrees Fahrenheit during the warmer months.
- Look in your grain often. When you are storing grain for a long time, you cannot just put it in grain storage systems and forget about it. You need to take a look at the grain and see if you can detect any crusting or if there is any odor that should not be there. You need to climb to the top of your grain storage bins and peek in to look at and smell your product. If you find an problem, take a look at your aeration system. Problems are often caused by too much moisture getting into your grain. You dan use your fans to get rid of this.
With some work and effort you can successfully set up a good, long term grain storage system.
