← Field crops: grain, maize, pulses and potatoes
H14-07 · Module 7 of 7 · Pages: 19 · Worksheets: 6
Drying and storing grain and seed
How much moisture grain may hold, how to measure it without a laboratory, how to dry it in the sun, in a crib and in a dryer, and how to prevent mycotoxins
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In short
- For storage, grain must have no more than 13–14 % moisture, seed for sowing 12–13 %, beans 13–14 %.
- Damp grain must start drying within 24–48 hours of harvest or picking.
- With warm air, dry seed at no more than 35–40 °C (95–104 °F), milling grain at no more than 50–55 °C (122–131 °F).
- Mycotoxins are invisible and aren't destroyed by cooking. Mouldy grain isn't eaten or fed to livestock.
- A wet June at flowering, a damp harvest, or a hot, dry summer for maize are signs to be careful: that's when it's wise to send grain for analysis.
What's inside
Chapters
- Why moisture decides everything
- Measuring moisture
- Drying in the air and sun
- Maize in a crib
- Simple dryers
- Mycotoxins: the invisible danger
- How to prevent mycotoxins
- What to do with mouldy grain
- Storing: from dryer to granary
- Seed: drying and storing
- Common mistakes
- Printable checklist
Worksheets
- Store and space calculator
- Drying calculator
- Drying and moisture record
- Drying room and store sketch
- A year of drying and storing
- Store log
Fields and checkboxes can be filled in with Adobe Acrobat Reader (desktop and mobile), and the calculator adds up by itself. Filling in may not work in some browsers. A print version comes with the screen PDF.
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