Let's Talk About Your Grain

Grains are seeds. Seeds are living organisms. As with any living thing, grain "breathes." Oxygen is taken in and carbon dioxide is produced. When the grain is very dry it is in a dormant or quiet state. When it is very wet the respiration is very active, unless its temperature is reduced to refrigeration levels. In this process of being alive, the grain creates heat besides carbon dioxide and moisture. This is the starting point of the spoilage cycle. As the grain slowly warms, the environment becomes suitable for the growing of molds and bacteria. These organisms in turn are fed off of the grain and in living create more heat and moisture. Temperatures up to 142 degrees F due to molds have been recorded. Then the situation becomes very "friendly" for all kinds of insects...which in turn results in more heat and moisture...which leads your good and valuable grain down the hill of spoilage to the compost pile and "return to the earth."

The Problem is:
How to keep grain at seed quality. If you do that, it is always best not only for seed but also for feeding and market because you have retained everything which nature built into that seed.

First - harvest when it is ripe and at full bloom of growth and feed value. It harvests cleaner and better at this early time, too.

Second - take control of it. Remove the excess water bringing it to a dry and quiet state. Now you have removed the root of the storage problem - Then it will not heat. The molds are either stopped or those that may develop over months or years are slowed down enough to not be a bother. The bugs that will do their part to make matters worse in wet grain are much easier to control in dry grain. In short, all of the things that add fuel to the spoilage "fire" and consume your grain are contained by drying.

Third - even in your dry grain bin, moisture shifts can occur due to temperature differences within the bin. You control this using your drying equipment to cool the grain and eliminate temperature differences.

The principal factors in the safe storage of grain over long periods is low moisture content and low temperature. These two conditions can now be met on any farm for any grain in any grain bin.

Grains are seeds...seeds will germinate and produce if you let them. Remember that kernels of wheat were taken from the tomb of an Egyptian king, in the tomb over 3,600 years, and when planted they grew. You can "keep" grain if you do something about it "right now" when you harvest it and make your storage do what is necessary to gain control.