Tag Archive for 'moisture content'

Quickly calculating grain shrinkage

When grain is accepted by merchants at a moisture content level which is higher than that contracted, the weight loss due to drying must be calculated. This enables the actual value of the grain to be worked out. This charge and also the charge applied for then drying the grain can be avoided through having suitable facilities for on-farm grain drying.

The loss in weight during drying is known as water shrinkage and occurs when grain is dried, whether in the field or mechanically. The weight of dried grain may be calculated, by using Continue reading ‘Quickly calculating grain shrinkage’

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Mobile batch grain driers and grain moisture testing

This time of year we are always occupied with helping new customers to get the best from their Mecmar grain driers and usually reminding a few older ones what they should be doing too. A great many questions centre around the issue of drying temperatures. Setting the air temperature is a straightforward business but the process by which you relate the cereal temperature to the moisture content (mc) of a crop can be trickier.

One of the main pitfalls is the accurate measurement of crop moisture straight from the drier. HGCA research shows that moisture content variability is increased when measuring freshly harvested grain, even within well mixed samples. The research went on to find that poor operator practise could result in errors of Continue reading ‘Mobile batch grain driers and grain moisture testing’

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