In the Western Canadian Prairies, early frost, shorter growing seasons and uneven maturity create challenges in harvest and safe storage of the grains. One of the tools to manage late and uneven maturity is grain drying. This study looks at on-farm grain drying operations to maintain grain quality and reduce energy usage during the drying process.
The data was collected from several farms which practiced different types of drying methods which included:
- High temperature drying (cross-flow and mixed-flow dryers)
- In-bin natural air drying
- Combination drying (high temperature drying followed by in-bin drying)
Results showed that for removing high moisture (>4%) grains, combination drying was more energy efficient compared to high temperature drying. In bin drying (with/without heaters) would be more efficient for removing 2-4% moisture provided that the bins have properly sized fans while coring can considerably improve the flow rate that adds to efficient drying. In order to achieve the most energy efficient, uniform, and timely in-bin drying it is recommended that grain bins have moisture cables, automated fan and heater controls.