The present market demand in the agricultural sector for food crops is so large that the only feasible way of meeting it is to farm on a commercial basis. This requires enormous farms and proportionally large harvests. In the event of a bumper crop of which some remains unsold, or if grain needs to be stored for a period of time, farmers run the risk of losing some of it to natural causes of decay. This makes grain bin monitoring critical in preventing such losses.
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.
The standard technique in long-term storage is to dry the crops out to a deliberate extent. This is done by aerating or ventilating the grain in the bin with warmer air. Some of the natural moisture of the kernels is lost and it is then easier to store them for more time, sometimes more than a year. Farmers try to maintain EMC, or equilibrium moisture content, so that no moisture moves into or out of the grain from the surrounding air.
Measurements are made by pushing special cables through the stored grain. The cables are able to measure both moisture and temperature inside the bin. The operator can stand next to the bin and read the measurements on a handheld instrument, or on a computer some distance away. They can then modify the temperature to bring about the necessary effect, in response to what they see on the measuring system.
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.
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.
Causes of damage to stored produce are through the activity of insects, or fungi (mold). Kernels that have had their moisture content brought down to about 10% aren't susceptible to insect or mold damage any more. However, they may be less likely to germinate if they are sown. Farmers need to assess how they intend to use the grain against the risk of losing some of the 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.
The standard technique in long-term storage is to dry the crops out to a deliberate extent. This is done by aerating or ventilating the grain in the bin with warmer air. Some of the natural moisture of the kernels is lost and it is then easier to store them for more time, sometimes more than a year. Farmers try to maintain EMC, or equilibrium moisture content, so that no moisture moves into or out of the grain from the surrounding air.
Measurements are made by pushing special cables through the stored grain. The cables are able to measure both moisture and temperature inside the bin. The operator can stand next to the bin and read the measurements on a handheld instrument, or on a computer some distance away. They can then modify the temperature to bring about the necessary effect, in response to what they see on the measuring system.
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.
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.
Causes of damage to stored produce are through the activity of insects, or fungi (mold). Kernels that have had their moisture content brought down to about 10% aren't susceptible to insect or mold damage any more. However, they may be less likely to germinate if they are sown. Farmers need to assess how they intend to use the grain against the risk of losing some of the 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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