The granary of the mid-western United States is impressive. During summer months, fields of corn, wheat, soybeans and other cash crops stretch for miles, ready to produce the highest yields of any agricultural area on the planet. Storing this bounty allows farmers to market it throughout the year, but maintaining that harvested product requires diligent oversight. Modern grain bin monitoring helps provide farmers with the most up-to-date information.
Idyllic paintings often portray an old fashioned red barn next to a crooked silo. Most urban dwellers know that a silo is used for crop storage, but may not realize that large farming operations today keep many harvested crops in commercial bins, or in massive on-site container structures. Many facilities are far larger than their predecessors, making old-fashioned monitoring more difficult, and sometimes even physically dangerous.
In the past, farmers relied on their own experience to gauge the condition of stored harvests. Although instinct plays an important role in analysis, it is nearly impossible to accurately estimate the daily moisture variations taking place in a 135,000 bushel storage facility without technological assistance, which can also make the process safer. Moist kernels sometimes form a hard, crusty cap during storage, preventing outflow.
Because that layer must be broken, farmers traditionally walked on top to loosen the hard, compacted material, risking the real chance of suffocating under tons of cascading corn or other seeds. Mechanized monitoring largely eliminates that possibility, and can better measure moisture content at any given time. Even though already harvested, the stored material is still biologically active, producing temperature variations.
Closely packed organic material is a good insulator, and encourages the development of currents of air that result in hot spots and excess condensation. If left alone, fungus, mold, and opportunistic insect populations flare up, often destroying the original quality. One solution is called aeration, a process of drying that forces cool air upward, reducing water condensation.
The latest weapon against crop deterioration is the installation of digital monitoring. In past decades, some growers relied on intelligent guesswork to prevent spoilage and shrinkage, but that changed dramatically, partially as a result of increased methanol production using plant material. Huge new amounts of stored organic material made the need for efficient controls even more obvious, but universal adoption has been slow-moving.
Electronic management systems have become a practical and integral part of the agricultural bottom line. Consisting of multiple moisture and temperature sensors placed strategically at different levels, each monitor produces constant data that is fed into an individual bin controller. Based on the data received, that device is then capable of controlling building fans and heat when necessary, reducing moisture.
These systems utilize both analog and digital technology, and transmit information on an Internet or local network connection. While the cost of installation and maintenance is significant, the savings are even greater. When a farmer is able to consistently provide high-quality grain year round to buyers, they will receive the maximum payment according to the current market. Labor costs decrease, as do the chances of economic loss from spoilage.
Idyllic paintings often portray an old fashioned red barn next to a crooked silo. Most urban dwellers know that a silo is used for crop storage, but may not realize that large farming operations today keep many harvested crops in commercial bins, or in massive on-site container structures. Many facilities are far larger than their predecessors, making old-fashioned monitoring more difficult, and sometimes even physically dangerous.
In the past, farmers relied on their own experience to gauge the condition of stored harvests. Although instinct plays an important role in analysis, it is nearly impossible to accurately estimate the daily moisture variations taking place in a 135,000 bushel storage facility without technological assistance, which can also make the process safer. Moist kernels sometimes form a hard, crusty cap during storage, preventing outflow.
Because that layer must be broken, farmers traditionally walked on top to loosen the hard, compacted material, risking the real chance of suffocating under tons of cascading corn or other seeds. Mechanized monitoring largely eliminates that possibility, and can better measure moisture content at any given time. Even though already harvested, the stored material is still biologically active, producing temperature variations.
Closely packed organic material is a good insulator, and encourages the development of currents of air that result in hot spots and excess condensation. If left alone, fungus, mold, and opportunistic insect populations flare up, often destroying the original quality. One solution is called aeration, a process of drying that forces cool air upward, reducing water condensation.
The latest weapon against crop deterioration is the installation of digital monitoring. In past decades, some growers relied on intelligent guesswork to prevent spoilage and shrinkage, but that changed dramatically, partially as a result of increased methanol production using plant material. Huge new amounts of stored organic material made the need for efficient controls even more obvious, but universal adoption has been slow-moving.
Electronic management systems have become a practical and integral part of the agricultural bottom line. Consisting of multiple moisture and temperature sensors placed strategically at different levels, each monitor produces constant data that is fed into an individual bin controller. Based on the data received, that device is then capable of controlling building fans and heat when necessary, reducing moisture.
These systems utilize both analog and digital technology, and transmit information on an Internet or local network connection. While the cost of installation and maintenance is significant, the savings are even greater. When a farmer is able to consistently provide high-quality grain year round to buyers, they will receive the maximum payment according to the current market. Labor costs decrease, as do the chances of economic loss from spoilage.
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Farmers needing assistance with grain bin monitoring can take a look at the suggested site for help. To get instant access to all the info, visit http://www.jmac-farm.com.
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