Aeration systems play a critical role in allowing farmers to safely store grain on-farm, which in turn can allow them to market grain at a premium.
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However, a leading grain storage consultant has said most growers are failing to gain the full benefits of aeration systems due to outdated research.
"To leverage the benefits of storing grain you need appropriate aeration that is set up fit for purpose," said Alex Conway, an agricultural engineer from Toowoomba and a member of the Grains Research and Development Corporation's stored grain project.
"Incredibly a lot of the background research for grain storage, the last time it was actually tested was back in the 1950s in the U.S and that original data was obviously very outdated for Australian grain varieties," he told a GRDC webinar looking at effective grain storage.
"The cropping industry is obviously a lot more diverse than those days and the air flow rates we can use are also different, so we conducted some new research and there were a number of interesting findings."
Mr Conway said the shape of the grain surface area made a difference in terms of airflow.
"Whether it is concave or peaked will have an impact on the cooling of the grain as air will always take the path of least resistance."
"In a typical peaked arrangement, the lower areas will receive more airflow than the peak - making it an important area to monitor for insect infestations. ."
Mr Conway also urged farmers to question manufacturers on the fan airflow rates.
"There can be a significant difference between the stated outputs of fans versus what was measured in the field, in some cases up to 50 per cent lower performance."
"It's really critical to ask the manufacturers how the quoted airflow rates are calculated."
The other major point of variability when storing grain is the difference in settling of different grain types.
"There is a wide range between a grain like corn and something like lentils or sorghum."
"Corn there is only a 12pc difference in plenum pressure due to settling, but for crops like lentils and sorghum that can rise to 50 or 60pc."
"It's this sort of thing you have to consider with your aeration, the silos are designed for wheat, yet the crop you want to store might have different properties."
"When investing in new storage I recommend you have a chat to your manufacturers and let them know what you want to store, whether or not you want to push the boundaries on moisture to allow you to get grain off quickly in advance of a forecast of heavy rain, or just what you want to get out of the storage."
Mr Conway said an easy strategy to evaluate an aeration systems performance is simply monitoring grain temperature at least monthly.
"During the summer months we're looking to achieve grain temperatures around 18 to 23 degrees, depending on where you are, and in winter we believe 15 degrees or lower is achievable in most areas."