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A third consecutive La Nina caused headaches in the eastern states, creating logistics and grain quality issues. How can silo preparation help mitigate the impact of the wet?
Ahead of the wet summer, the Grains Research and Development Corporation encouraged growers to prepare their silos to store grain above the deliverable moisture content to open up selling options.
The National Grain Storage Extension Project Coordinator Chris Warrick said some growers chose to delay harvest, giving crops the chance to dry out and get back to the desired deliverable moisture content harvested wet grain to avoid future rainfall events, others forged ahead.
“Preparing silos so growers have the option to take grain off the above deliverable moisture content is a tool they can use to manage the difficult logistics of a wet harvest,” he said. “The ideal setup is having drying facilities available; however, that wasn’t the case for a lot of growers.”
He said another management option, and one that is often underutilised, is aeration cooling. “Growers can use aeration cooling to hold grain, preventing it from moulding, until it can be dried or blended with dry grain to sell.”
But he said the most important factor to consider when using aeration cooling to store wet grain is ensuring the system is set up to match what growers want to do with it.
“Drying with aeration requires really high airflow. Growers will need 15 litres of air per second per tonne or more to carry the moisture out of the grain. Aeration cooling only requires 2-4 litres of air per second per tonne and can be retro-fitted to cone bottom silos, sheds or bunker sites. If you are going to store grain with higher moisture, make sure you’re monitoring it regularly. Smell the air, check the temperatures, and ensure it’s cooling down, not heating up.”
