Grain storage

Achieving a successful grain crop requires skilled management throughout the growing season. Greg Trame is director of technology sales with GSI. He says proper grain storage is equally important to protect the quality and value of that crop.

“For years, farmers have climbed the ladder of grain bins to get up there and take samples to check the quality of their stored grain. Many farms today have replaced this with cable systems, which does give a more efficient way to monitor grain temperature and moisture levels. The real goal here is to detect and respond quickly to any issues to prevent grain from going out of condition.”

 

Trame says GSI’s new GrainVue grain management system enables farmers to greatly automate the process.

“GrainVue uses the latest digital cable technology to accurately check grain temperature and moisture, as well as give an indication of the inventory in the bin. The system can send out alerts to farmers about the condition of their grain and can automatically control fans and heaters to keep the grain in ideal condition. With 24/7 monitoring and remote management using a Smart Phone, mobile device, desktop, or PC, farmers can have peace of mind knowing that their grain quality is being protected. In addition, you can have one person dedicated at your farm to manage multiple bins at multiple sites. The result is that farmers can pursue higher premiums and get the most out of every bushel they harvest.”

 

The system can also help farmers achieve specific goals.

“Some farmers harvest grain at higher-than-ideal moisture levels for an early, more timely harvest. GrainVue can optimize the effectiveness of natural air drying by only running fans when  outside conditions are favorable, helping to save energy. With GrainVue and its connected weather station, farmers can set parameters to automate fans, turning them off and on following drying to maximize cooling capacity. This is a task many farmers now do manually. Automation provides a more convenient solution to save time and energy by running he fans only when needed. The system also has the ability to warm up stored grain to maintain its temperature closer to the outdoor temperature. The industry standard is to keep the temperature within 10 degrees of the outside air to help prevent condensation inside bins, which can lead to grain spoilage.”

 

For more information, farmers can contact their GSI dealer or visit www.grainsystems.com.