<h2 class = 'uawtitle'>Grain Bin Monitoring: Keeping Weevils Out Of The Bread Bin</h2><br />
<div style='font-style:italic;' class='uawbyline'>by Tanisha Berg</div><br /><br />
<div class='uawarticle'>The agricultural industry of today is faced with massive demand for food crops. The only possible method of assuaging this demand is to farm commercially. Commercial farming entails very large farms and the associated gigantic harvests. If a farmer has surplus unsold harvest, or stores crops for some time, there is always the risk that some of them may be destroyed by different causes. By instituting a system of <A href="http://www.jmac-farm.com">grain bin monitoring</A>, this waste can be preempted.<br />
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There are a number of types of crop which are stored in this way, either in bins or silos. They are wheat (corn), barley, oats, soy, rice and beans and pulses like lentils. In order to ensure the sustained quality of the stored produce, farmers need to regulate two environmental conditions in the storage system: temperature and moisture. But before they can do that, they need to be able to measure both of them.<br />
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Farmers try to store their crops for long periods of time by drying it out. They do this by passing heated air through them. They then lose some of their moisture and can be stored for more than a year. The aim is to achieve the equilibrium moisture content or EMC, so that there is no movement of moisture between the crops and the air around them.<br />
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The temperature and humidity are measured by inserting specially designed cables into the grain in the bin. These cables record measurements of conditions in the bin's interior. The measurements can be shown on the display of a handheld device at the bin itself or on a computer screen in an office somewhere else. Using the equipment's readings, farmers can set the temperature to regulate the storage environment and the grain's moisture content.<br />
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There are systems that make use of specialized software. The software can be used to gather information from many bins simultaneously and display it on screen or on a website. It also has an automatic notification function that informs users of conditions outside of the desired ones.<br />
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Farming is not a cheap industry, and the costs of bin drying and storage are significant. However, there are advantages to this process. Surplus harvest can be stored until the next season, either for planting or sale. Market forces may cause the commodity price of the grain to fall, so the producer can then hedge against a rise in the next price cycle. Sometimes, the entire crop might be in storage, so any threat to the grain needs to be eliminated.<br />
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Dried grain is less susceptible to the usual causes of damage. Mold (or fungi) is one such cause, while insects are another. Kernels that have a moisture content of at or below 12% are not targeted by these insects or fungi, but they might not germinate if they are used as seed. Farmers need to weigh up this potential loss against how they want to use the stored harvest.<br />
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The management of vast commercial crops is part of the food security of modern economies. Without such technology, farmers would be more vulnerable to changing weather and insect plagues. Monitoring stored grain is therefore important in ensuring that food is available and at an affordable price.<br />
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<div class='uawlinks'><a href="http://www.jmac-farm.com">Read more about</a> Grain Bin Monitoring: Keeping The Country's Larder Dry.</div><br />
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