Drying: rapid and in-store drying of grain

Maize - careful drying and storage avoids penalties (PDF, 120 KB)
James Darby - CSIRO Stored Grain Research Laboratory and Alan Andrews - Customvac Australia.
Careful drying and storage of maize can maximise returns. Processor are seeking chemical free, undamaged kernels for processing. An overview on the use of rapid and in-store drying is provided, to reduce moisture to safe storage levels. Copyright in this article is held by The Kondinin Group.

1st Australian Postharvest Technical Conference
Proceedings from this conference are available on-line and PDF files of the papers relevant to aeration and drying (listed) can be downloaded for reference.
Grain management by heating and cooling: the technology
Putting grain aeration in order with generalised aeration categories
James Darby, CSIRO Stored Grain Research Laboratory, Canberra, ACT.
Ambient air in-store grain drying: recent Australian experience
Andrew Kotzur, Modern Engineering and Construction P/L, Walla Walla, NSW.

Some frequently asked questions and answers on grain drying, and general background on drying and dryers is available from the web sites of Agridry Rimik P/L and Customvac Australia P/L, which are Australian suppliers of aeration and drying equipment based in Toowoomba, Queensland. Check out their respective web sites at http://www.agridry.com.au and http://www.customvac.com.au. A contemporary silo design for on-farm drying is described on the web site of Modern Engineering and Construction P/L in Walla Walla, New South Wales. Check http://www.kotzur.com.au/drying.html.

Silo volume calculator Not sure how to work out the total volume of your farm silo? An easy to use storage calculator is provided on the web site managed by Modern Engineering and Construction, Walla Walla, New South Wales.

The Queensland Department of Primary Industries (QDPI) has also produced a new computer decision support package that assesses the impact of on-farm grain drying and storage under aeration. The QDPI Rural and Industry Business Services developed the package and examines the financial costs of grain drying and using aerated storage on-farm. Further information on the decision support package can be obtained through QDPI.