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 grain bin monitoring, this waste can be preempted.
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.
Drying the grain out is the customary method of storing the harvest. This is done by fanning hot air into the stored crops. It then releases some of its moisture in the surrounding atmosphere. The purpose of this is to reduce the moisture content of the grain to the EMC, or the equilibrium moisture content, at which it is synchronized with the surrounding environment and there is no further movement of moisture in either direction, either into or out of the stored matter.
Measuring these two factors is done by inserting specialized cables into the stored grain. These cables measure temperature and moisture inside the storage structure. The results can then be displayed on the screen of a handheld device or in computer systems in a nearby office. Operators can adjust the temperature to cause the desired effect, according to the measurements that have been generated by the equipment.
At present, there are measuring systems on the market that involve the use of specially designed computer programs. These programs have the capacity to accumulate the measurements of numerous storage sites at the same time and show them on the screen or upload them onto the internet. They can also give their operators automatic notice of problematic conditions in a bin.
Agriculture is expensive, and bin storage and drying processes involve expenses too. But the bin system does have benefits. The obvious one is that surplus crops can be kept until the next season, to be sown or sold. Sometimes, commodity trading makes prices unattractive and farmers prefer to wait until they can get more money for their harvest. Or the farmer's entire harvest may be in storage, so risks need to be managed or preempted.
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.
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.
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.
Drying the grain out is the customary method of storing the harvest. This is done by fanning hot air into the stored crops. It then releases some of its moisture in the surrounding atmosphere. The purpose of this is to reduce the moisture content of the grain to the EMC, or the equilibrium moisture content, at which it is synchronized with the surrounding environment and there is no further movement of moisture in either direction, either into or out of the stored matter.
Measuring these two factors is done by inserting specialized cables into the stored grain. These cables measure temperature and moisture inside the storage structure. The results can then be displayed on the screen of a handheld device or in computer systems in a nearby office. Operators can adjust the temperature to cause the desired effect, according to the measurements that have been generated by the equipment.
At present, there are measuring systems on the market that involve the use of specially designed computer programs. These programs have the capacity to accumulate the measurements of numerous storage sites at the same time and show them on the screen or upload them onto the internet. They can also give their operators automatic notice of problematic conditions in a bin.
Agriculture is expensive, and bin storage and drying processes involve expenses too. But the bin system does have benefits. The obvious one is that surplus crops can be kept until the next season, to be sown or sold. Sometimes, commodity trading makes prices unattractive and farmers prefer to wait until they can get more money for their harvest. Or the farmer's entire harvest may be in storage, so risks need to be managed or preempted.
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.
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.
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