By: NPPD Energy Efficiency Program Manager Cory Fuehrer Any long-time grain producer in Nebraska will tell you the key to a successful season depends on their crops getting the correct amount of moisture, in the correct manner and at the correct time without any other major devastations. During some wet years, yields from dryland acres will rival those from irrigated ground. However, during most years, irrigation provides a significant advantage. It comes down to water. Farming both dryland and irrigated acres, my grandfather appreciated a wet summer since both types of fields produced well. While unloading grain trucks at harvesttime many years ago, he would say with a grin on his face, “You can’t count it until it’s in the bin!” Today, successful grain marketers would likely say, “Hold on. We don’t count it until it’s sold!” Their concern? It comes down to water. For those unfamiliar with the process, nearly all grain is stored for some period of time before it is sold or fed to livestock. When it is sold, a variety of factors determine the price, the largest being test weight and moisture content. Whether it’s corn, soybeans, wheat or sorghum, each type of grain has an ideal level of moisture content to optimize the test weight at the time of sale. To achieve that level, many choose on-farm storage in grain bins and silos. The length of time grain can be stored and maintain quality is also highly dependent on moisture content. In general, the lower the moisture content, the longer it can be stored. While drying grain with heat is often done immediately following harvest, when the grain is moved to storage, it requires aeration. The storage facilities have large fans that force air through the grain to remove excess heat and moisture. Here’s where optimizing quantity and quality can become challenging. If the moisture level isn’t low enough at the time of sale, the price received is penalized. Worse yet, the grain could spoil or become infested with insects in storage and become worthless before the producer can even get it to market. However, overaerating reduces the weight by which grain is measured for selling, which reduces the overall amount of money the producer receives. In the past, some producers took the traditional, time-intensive steps to monitor conditions inside the bin, as well as outdoor weather conditions, and only ran fans when needed and appropriate. But, the majority of producers erred on the side of caution and operated the fans excessively, thinking a reduced total payment was better than possibly no payment at all. Today, the process of monitoring and aerating only when appropriate has been automated by several companies that offer the necessary hardware and computer applications. Temperature and moisture sensors and/or off-gassing analyzers identify the grain’s condition inside the storage. Onsite or local weather stations identify temperature and relative humidity outside the facility. This information is fed into software that continuously determines if and when aeration is appropriate. When it is, a signal is sent to an aeration controller that activates the fans. Once conditions inside the bin or outside weather change, the controller automatically turns the fans off. While automated aeration control systems can be expensive, optimized grain quality and reduced losses help recover the investment quickly. To further defray the cost, your local public power provider may have an EnergyWiseSM incentive available once installation is complete. Contact your local utility or visit www.energywisenebraska.com. for additional details. Your local utility, in partnership with Nebraska Public Power District, wants to help you get the most value from the energy needed to raise and store your crops