What You Need to Know About Grain Storage and Grain Drying

Grain storage is vital to the success of marketing and selling quality products. Over the past few years, low commodity prices have caused some farmers to store more grain than in years past. When you're storing grain for longer periods of time, knowing proper storage options is key to keeping grain in good condition.

On this page, you’ll find the latest technology efforts in storing quality grain, proper drying and air flow techniques, used grain bin storage options, and overall safety tips.

Grain Storage

Preparing your grain bin for the season requires maintenance, updates, and, above all, a clean bin. Completely cleaning out the storage system to get rid of any grain that may be infected with insects or moisture can save the entire new crop going in. This requires a complete and thorough evaluation of the bins from the top down. These 13 grain bin checkup tips can help with even the smallest details in that process.

The moisture content and temperature of grain are critical factors in keeping grain in good condition. Improving the facility’s aeration and controlling the overall temperature can make or break your price when it comes to selling your crop. To store grain throughout the year, these 8 tips for long-term grain storage will aid in having quality grain.

Drying Grain

Drying grain can be a very energy-intensive operation on the farm because burning fuel to produce energy, also burns money. At the same time, it's important to keep the crop at the desired moisture for prime long-term grain storage. From knowing your dryer options to finding the correct continuous flow, these 11 ways to cut grain-drying costs can save you money and time throughout the year.

Its important to remember, like any piece of farm equipment, drying gear requires upkeep and maintenance to retain temperature and moisture without emptying your wallet. For example, checking drying air temperature at several locations can optimize dryer operation to quickly move grain to storage.

Temporary Grain Storage

With the impressive technology available today, farmers are able to grow higher-yielding crops, which creates a greater demand for storage. If you’re running out of storage and aren’t ready to send grain to the elevator, knowing what temporary storage options are available is important. These temporary grain-storage solutions create opportunities for outdoor storage that also keeps the crop in quality condition.

Used Grain Bins

Putting up new bins can really take a toll on the bank account but having more farm storage space is necessary when yields are booming. This article – Grain Bins on a Budget – shows creative usage of used storage facilities and proper installation to use them to their full capacity.

For young, beginning farmers, acquiring the funds to erect new bins isn’t always the most practical option. These used grain bins are ideal for small farmers, offering options for niche farmers to add storage.

Grain Bin Technology

You use the most up-to-date technology to plant and harvest your crops, so why don’t you use the best technology available for storing the crop as well? With more bushels being harvested, you might find it more difficult to stay on top of what’s going on inside the bin. Despite decades of research and availability of advance monitoring technology, mold and insect infestation during storage still remains a challenge for many farmers. Learn how to guard your grain by investing in grain bin technology and also see how Iowa farmers are protecting their valuable assets in the process.

Emptying bins using a combination of gravity and augers or bin sweep technology can be time consuming and dangerous. That may no longer be necessary, due to GSI’s new patent-pending FlexWave technology, eliminating the labor-intensive task. See how GSI flex wave technology efficiently cleans grain storage.

Grain Bin Safety

One of the most dangerous jobs on the farm is entering a grain bin facility. Farmers may enter the bin to break free clumps of grain and keep proper flow to ensure high-quality grain. Once clumps are moved, grain begins to move again, which can cause the person inside the bin to become buried or trapped.

If possible, it’s highly recommended to work outside the bin, as this is the most effective way to keep entrapments from happening. Always keep grain bin safety tips in mind, including shutting off equipment, checking for gases, working with a partner, or having a crisis plan in place in case something does go wrong. Keeping grain in good condition can also help prevent grain bin entrapments.