Farm Grain Storage Bins: Advantages and Best Practices
Saying that grain storage is important is an understatement. How you maintain grain stock can directly affect how profitable your business can become.
Grains like corn, rice, and wheat are in demand all year but production is seasonal. Growers can sell their grain immediately after harvest to avoid potential losses from storage issues.
But prices are usually lower during harvest season due to an abundance of supplies. If farms invest in good grain storage options, they can sell their stock when markets are more favorable.
They also get the following advantages:
Benefits of On-Farm Grain Storage Bins
More farmers are choosing to invest in on-farm grain storage. Here’s an in-depth look at the benefits of storing grain yourselves as opposed to commercial storage.
Higher Financial Gain
Grain quality drives revenue. Properly storing stock ensures a consistent supply of quality grains. On-farm bins help even small and independent farmers dry and store surplus grains themselves until the market is more profitable.
Storing grain stock commercially is also an option. But the demand for freight rates increases dramatically during harvest. When farmers store their stock on-farm, they can wait for the rates to drop. Costs can also be eliminated if they deliver their own grain directly to receiving sites.
Have Access to Grain All Year Round
On-farm storage allows farmers to use their stock as needed. One of the best examples is using grain for animal feed.
We usually buy in bulk to save money. The issue is animal feed has a short shelf life. If you store grains in bins, you can keep feed costs low and prevent spoilage.
Giving fresh feeds to your animals can boost their productivity and help maintain their health. Storing grain on-farm also provides advantages to the overall welfare of the farm.
Guard Against Unpredictable Weather
With today’s technology, anybody can accurately predict the weather. The challenge is preparing for these weather conditions.
Crops exposed to even slight rain showers can be damaged due to moisture. These crops need to be dried and stored in an aerated space to retain their quality throughout the year.
Farmers can have the convenience of immediately transferring grain to storage after drying when using on-farm grain storage bins.
On-farm bins reduce the overall percentage of crops lost due to bad weather.
Boost Efficiency and Lower Costs
Investing in on-farm grain storage bins can help streamline any producer’s business process. Think about how much you can save on fuel, labor, freight costs, and idle costs combined.
Consider how much time it takes sitting in elevator lines and the costs. With on-farm storage, you can dry and store grains cheaper than with conventional grain elevators.
You can also save between 2-4 cents for each point of harvest moisture with on-farm storage. There are also additional benefits in the form of grants given for energy-efficient grain drying to help lower the additional costs of dryers.
6 Best Practices for Grain Storage
Transitioning from commercial to on-farm storage has several advantages. But improper storage of grain stock can be detrimental to your businesses.
Here is a list of best practices you can apply to ensure proper management and maintenance of grain stock:
Invest in Quality Grain Storage Bins
Farmers who store their grain themselves can get more profit, have more say in where their harvest is sold, have a more reliable source of animal feed, and reduce their risk of crop loss due to bad weather.
All of these benefits add up to monetary gain and help a farm succeed. To ensure you get these benefits and more, it’s necessary to invest in quality grain storage bins.
Keep Moisture in Check
Grain quality depends on moisture level. Grains should be dried to the right levels to maintain quality. Grain storage and temperature are also crucial.
Aeration keeps grain temperature consistent throughout storage. High grain moisture and temperatures promote insect or fungal infections and grain degradation. Lower temperatures also allow grain storage with more moisture.
Keep Temperature Under Control
When grain bin relative humidity exceeds 70% and temperature exceeds 25 °C, insects and mold, the principal predators of grains, proliferate rapidly.
Poor bin ventilation keeps wet and warm air in the bin, creating ideal circumstances for bug and mold growth.
Optimal Aeration
Properly designed systems can dry ambient or heated air. By aerating the grain on a regular basis, the temperature inside the storage facility can be kept relatively stable.
Grain deterioration and insect infestations are commonplace when moisture levels and temperatures are high. Proper aeration allows grains to retain a greater percentage of moisture while being stored.
Handle Temperatures in the Summer
Summer grain storage temperatures vary. For the past two decades, farmers suggest keeping grain temperatures at around 40°F during spring and summer. Nowadays, people recommend warming grain to 50°F for summer storage.
Insect infestation and mold growth thrive in the 70°F to 90°F temperature range, which explains the recent cooling trend. Insects are inactive below 50°F.
Check Frequently for Pests
Checking harvested grains for insect pests and diseases is crucial When grain bin relative humidity exceeds 70% and temperature exceeds 25 °C, insects and mold, the principal predators of grains, proliferate rapidly.
Preventing insect and mold growth is better than controlling it, as uncontrolled growth could destroy the grain. Best practices recommend treating grains with appropriate pesticides if an infection occurs to prevent it from spreading to healthy grains.
Key Takeaways
On-farm grain storage bins can help grain growers streamline their production process from harvest, storage, and all the way to distribution.
Here are some important factors to take note of if you want to invest in an on-farm storage bin:
On-farm storage bins can increase revenue as it allows farmers to have a consistent supply of quality grains.
Moisture and temperature directly affect the quality of your grain.
The majority of grain damage is due to moisture and temperature.
On-farm storage is more cost-efficient than commercial storage.
When investing in quality grain storage, make sure that it has monitoring capabilities.