Jim Lenz, GEAPS:
We’re discussing optimizing spring grain drying and storage, with Dr Ken Hellevang coming up next. Hello and welcome to the show. Welcome to the Whole Grain Podcast. My name is Jim Lenz, your host and producer of the show and the director of global training and education at GEAPS. We’re the mission of the Grain Elevator and Processing Society to champion, connect and serve the global grain industry and our members at Jeeps. We work to be the global community and thought leader for the grain industry which feeds and fuels the world.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS:
Thanks for listening today and for joining the network of thousands of other grain handling and processing professionals across the globe taking strategic steps to grow professionally. The Whole Grain Show will give you the competitive advantage to work at work so you can make more of an impact. All right, our guest for today is Dr Ken Hellevang. Ken has a PhD degree in engineering, is a registered professional engineer and has obtained the academic rank of tenured professor at North Dakota State University. As an extension and outreach engineer of agricultural and biosystems engineering at North Dakota State University, he’s provided education and technical assistance in grain drying and storage. That’s why it’s exciting to welcome Dr Ken Hellebeng to the show. Thank you very much for your participation in Whole Grain.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
Well, it’s nice to be on here with you.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS:
Now to allow our listeners, Ken, to get to know you. At the start of the show, could you share with our listeners a mantra or success quote that you live by professionally?
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
I really enjoy what I do and that’s always a plus, and it gives me an opportunity to blend the agriculture, which is my background as a youth, with science and engineering and bring it to helping people and solving problems, and that’s really what is has energized me during my career.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS:
Started working in the family farm, is that it?
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
Right, actually it was a livestock ranch and so transition over to grain came after I got started in my career but had a livestock operation that was involved with FFA and 4-H and all of that background.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS:
I know you are in the around the world, but there are also challenges beyond the Midwest, but the Midwest is going through. At the time of this recording, it’s been a dry winter unusually dry in terms of moisture and snowfall but we are going to be talking about some things that I think impact a lot of people around the world, and so, understanding spring grain drying challenges. Ken, you’ve highlighted the increased risk of grain storage problems with a warmer winter and early spring. Could you explain to our listeners why this poses such a critical issue?
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
Well, we are fortunate those of us that are in the northern part of the US that we have cool temperatures during the winter, and that enables us to store grain very well. When you look at what the parameters are. Where we have good, easy storage, it’s dry grain and cool temperatures. Storage, it’s dry grain and cool temperatures, and so across the northern region of the US, the cool temperatures help us to store our grain all winter. But then as we start coming into late winter, early spring, and then into summer storage, now we’re faced with much warmer temperatures, and that increases the potential for insect infestations.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
Also, if our grain is a little bit too high in moisture content for storage, then we see a lot of mold growth occurring, and so that is something that it really transitions in the spring, and a lot of times I didn’t want to try to remember to remind people that you know we’re in this transition. Those of us that have had winter are always looking forward to spring, but that’s not a time to forget about our stored grain. We’ve got another piece, too, that we’ll talk about, I think, a little bit later, but as we go into the spring, we’ve got a very strong solar energy component that we need to take into consideration. It takes a lot of energy to melt the snow and warm the cool soils, and for a lot of the storage region, our solar energy impact is higher now than just about any time during the year, so spring becomes a good time to be paying attention to things that are really changing from a storage environment.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS:
Thank you for your response. You mentioned the significant impact of solar heat gain on grain bins, particularly in the spring. How does this heat gain affect grain storage and what steps can be taken to mitigate its effects?
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
Well, it’s surprising to a lot of people but at this time of year, as we look at the end of February and into March, we’re looking at more solar heat gain on the south wall of a bin than what we’ll have during the summer. Now, of course, that’s due to the high solar angle that we have that in the winter it’s lower and it’s more impacting that south wall. But in addition to outside temperatures warming up, then we have this solar energy that is hitting the south wall of the bin and warming the grain that’s next to that south wall and warming the grain that’s next to that south wall. When we look at the solar heat gain on the bin roof, actually it’s not that much different in the spring than it is in the summer. And so we’ve got all this solar energy that is trying to warm the grain up and what we want to do is to try to keep our grain cool. So we can do that as long as we have cool outside weather and we can aerate that grain.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
We turn the fans on, run some cool air through the bin, cool the grain back down, and this year a lot of the the US had above normal temperatures all winter so we might have warmer grain at the end of the winter this year than what we would in a typical year. So it becomes even more important that we’re in there checking the temperature and knowing what the condition of that grain is. And knowing what the condition of that grain is and then running the aeration fans when we have cool outside temperatures to cool that grain down. The ideal temperature will vary depending on where you’re at in the world. But here in the US, in the northern regions, but here in the US in the northern regions, we should be able to strive to try, because then that’s below the threshold where we start seeing more insect activity.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS:
Now I’d love for you to talk about running aeration fans during spring. Can you elaborate on the importance of this practice and any other specific considerations for ventilation to maintain optimal grain conditions?
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
Yeah, there’s a couple things that come to mind right away. One is that controlling the grain temperature is just as important as controlling the moisture content. We know that grain needs to be dry if we’re going to store it, but we can gain many benefits by keeping the grain cool, by selecting the time when we run the aeration fan, and so the goal, as I indicated, should be to try, in the northern part of the US at least, to keep it 40 degrees or cooler. So we’re then selecting times when we have outdoor temperatures that are cool enough so that when we run the fan we’re keeping it under that 40 degree threshold, of course, a goal. Most goes without saying that we don’t want to run it when it’s, you know, foggy or rainy or very humid conditions, because then we’re pumping that moisture back into the bin. But as long as we’re looking at, you know, a typical dry day, yeah, the humidity at night may end up being a little bit higher, but generally that’s not enough to cause any storage issues. So really, look at running the fan during the spring as needed in order to keep the grain under that threshold. Then, as we go into the summer, we’re going to have very limited ability to find days where the temperature is under that 40 or 50 degrees, and so then the goal is going to be to prevent warm up in another manner, and the one that I actually two points that I stress.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
One is that we need to be covering the fan when it’s not operating, because if we have an open fan and vents at the top of the bin, we get a natural chimney effect that takes place, and so we’re constantly pulling that warm outside air in and then it exhausts out through the bin roof.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
That will warm the grain up, and so if the goal is to keep it cool, we need to cover the fan when we’re not running the fan. The other thing is that is for looking at warm outside conditions. Most people that have been in the top of a grain bin in the summertime know how hot it can get up there and we don’t want that heat to be warming the grain. So we need to have a way to ventilate that heat out of the bin. That might be as easy as openings at the eaves and at the peak, so it’ll naturally ventilate out that hot air. Or frequently we’ll see also fans, exhaust fans put in the roof and, as we’re looking at storing well into the summer. I think it becomes more important that we think about how we’re going to keep that grain cool by covering the fan and maybe trying to get rid of that bin roof heat that is going to warm the grain.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS:
Really good points there. Cover the fans when they’re not being used. Try not to bring that heat in. Make sure things are ventilated. In the summer with that overhead sun it really raises the temperature inside there. All this is important, and also important is monitoring storage grain. Could you explain why frequent monitoring is essential and what signs indicate potential storage problems?
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
Well, the first thing that I encourage people to monitor is just to make sure that the moisture content of the grain is at the proper moisture content for storage.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
We might have had a lot of corn that went into a bin at 15% moisture, stored well over winter, but that’s too wet for summer storage. That’s going to spoil before we get through the summer, and we won’t know that without checking the moisture content. And so pulling a sample and just verifying that the corn is at the moisture content that we want, or the soybeans are at the moisture content that are needed for summer storage, is number one. The other one is, since temperature is so important, we need to monitor the temperature profile within that bin. Typically, today, we’re doing that with some type of temperature cable, and all they are are some type of sensor that is mounted on that cable and then it gives us what the temperature is. Then it gives us what the temperature is. Sometimes people wonder well, what is the kind of magic temperature you know, when it gets above 80, is that a problem? Is it get above whatever? And really it’s the trends that are taking place that are important. We want to be making changes before we have problems, and so by monitoring the temperature profile in the bin. Once the temperature starts increasing, that’s an indication either of spoilage occurring that is producing heat, insect activity that might be producing heat, and then, of course, there will be some natural warming as well. But if we have the bins sealed up, the fan covered, it’s surprising how cool that grain will stay as we go through the summer, and so monitoring the temperature is so important.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
There are new tools that people are starting to use, and one of those are what is marketed as moisture cables. Really, what they’re doing is monitoring the relative humidity and the temperature and then calculating what the moisture content will be, and that’s a nice tool, but it depends on the accuracy of the relative humidity measurement, and so I encourage people check the specifications on those cables and see just how accurate they are. A lot of them will say that they’re accurate within one plus or minus one percentage point. Well, corn is going to store quite a bit different at 15% than it does at 14%, and so that’s why it’s so important that we cross-check it with the actual moisture meter. Another new tool that is available is measuring the carbon dioxide level, and carbon dioxide is produced both by mold and by insects. It’s again a nice tool. The research has been done to show that it can be used, but the practical application is relatively new and so, again, I think it’s a tool that we’re learning to use.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
But where do we put the sensor and how important is a sealed bin? And there’s a number of those factors that play into the accuracy of that information. So it gets back to reading the manual and making sure we understand what it is that we’re measuring and how accurately it’s going to depict what’s going on. Temperature is the number one, easy one that we’ve done for years. The other one that takes a little effort is still the manual checking. Go in and look, and I know we need to be careful about grain safety, but actually getting up in the bin and looking for insects and checking for storage and implications of exceeding these levels, sure, and I’ll start with corn.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
I always stress and I do educational presentations that we market grain corn on 15.5% moisture basis, and that is fine for winter storage as long as we can keep it cold.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
But if we’re going to go into the warm summer months where we’re going to be looking at temperatures of 70 degrees rather than 40 degrees now, the corn needs to be down at 14% or even a little bit lower.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
I usually say let’s go for between 13 and 14% moisture if we’re intending to either store through the summer or if we’re shipping that corn where it’s going to end up being in a warm environment. Same thing occurs with soybeans. The market moisture is 13, but if we’re going to store into the summer, warmer months, we really need to be down between 11 and 12. We’ve over the years said 11% is summer storage. We’re doing some research here at North Dakota State University that says maybe we can crowd a little above 11, but still somewhere in that 11 to 12% moisture is an absolute maximum for warm temperatures. Moisture is an absolute maximum for warm temperatures. If we shift to small grains wheat we always have talked about 13, 13.5% moisture, and that’s because we handle wheat typically when it’s warm and so the cereal grains end up being fairly similar. Whether we’re talking corn or wheat, they’re going to have similar requirements as far as moisture contents in order to safely store at the warm temperatures.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS:
Now in that article I read you talked a little bit about strategies for natural air drying. You’ve outlined specific airflow rates and moisture content recommendations for natural air drying of different grains. Could you walk us through those strategies a little bit and their significance in maintaining grain quality?
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
Yeah, and I’m going to start out with a little bit of a qualifier the natural air drying really probably fits more for on-farm storages or at elevators that have some relatively small bins. Small bins because the maximum depth that I really encourage people to think about doing natural air drying is a grain depth of about oh 21, 22 feet and there’s a lot of the smaller bins that fit that parameter, the smaller bins that fit that parameter. And if we’re in that scenario then we can do natural air drying on corn and we’ll be able to handle up to about 21% moisture corn. But we need an airflow rate of one cubic foot per minute per bushel. The reason that I say that we’re limited to about 22 feet is that it takes a lot of fan power to get that amount of airflow through something at greater depths. And we’re running into that even on farms today that I end up helping people size bins. That might be well. I just did one yesterday that was 72 foot in diameter and 66 feet deep on a farm. 30 years ago we would have never dreamt of that, but we’re doing it today. That is not a drying bin. That’s going to be strictly for storage and in most elevators we’re going to be looking at those larger bins, so the natural air drying may not fit.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
Sometimes I get calls from guys that say, well, I’m only taking corn from 15 down to 14, I should be able to get by with less airflow. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. We we need a lot of airflow to take out a lot of moisture, even with one percentage point. So the natural air drying may not fit a whole lot for this audience but certainly if they’re making recommendations to farmers or to others. We say one CFM per bushel on corn and that’ll handle up to about 21% moisture. For soybeans it’s a similar airflow, one CFM, but that’ll limit us to about 15%, maybe 16% moisture moisture For wheat we’re talking usually three quarters of a CFM per bushel in moisture contents of 17, maybe 18 percent moisture. Anything above that in moisture content and we’re really talking about needing to move it into a high temperature dryer.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS:
Well, thank you for that, and with those qualifying statements too, especially in considerations and speaking with producers, farmers, from a perspective of green elevators. Now, all of us are concerned about safety, as are you. Safety is paramount. What are some key safety hazards associated with green handling, particularly during challenging conditions, and how can these risks be mitigated?
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
Well, there’s several different safety hazards that I’m going to very briefly mention. The one that most people think about when we talk about grain safety is grain entrapment or engulfment, where we go into a bin and we end up submerged in that bin of grain. Up submerged in that bin of grain, and that typically occurs when we’re having problems unloading the grain. We end up with some crusting or chunks of grain and they end up flowing down and blocking a sump at the bottom of the bin or restricting the flow of that grain. So then somebody goes in there and starts trying to break up that chunk, and if the conveying system is operational, they’ll end up getting sucked in. We kind of refer to it similar to quicksand, that it only takes just a matter of a couple seconds and all of a sudden you’re into the point where you’re trapped. It may take 10 to 20 seconds to totally cover you up, but you don’t have time to react, and so that is a safety hazard. I say that you know the whole make sure that the system is shut off, lock out, tag out really applies so that the system doesn’t automatically come on or somebody turn it on. And then all of the confined space issues are very important that we keep that in mind.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
But there’s some other hazards that sometimes I think we overlook, and one of those is the respiratory hazard. Drain dust is a lung irritant is a lung irritant, and so I strongly encourage people to wear a dust mask if they’re working around grain to protect their lungs, to protect the respiratory system. And that becomes even more important if we have a problem here, because usually those chunks or the problem is associated with mold growth and inhaling mold spores, just tiny, microscopic particles, but they they get into your system and they can cause a lot of damage. They it might be a very rapid allergic reaction. If it’s a large dosage it might be a long-term lung incapacity. I encourage people to wear an N95 rated mask so that we’re making sure that we’re filtering the air that comes in.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
And then, last but not least, is a lot of our bins have some type of sweep system or take out auger at the bottom, and people need to be extremely cautious around them because, again, the power that they have, the magnitude of the equipment is such that if we slip and our foot gets in there, unfortunately it’s gone, and I hear reports of people getting caught in the takeout augers bleeding to death, you know, if they happen to be in there by themselves, it’s just a hazard that we need to keep in mind, and so those are the three that I typically talk about. I think most people are aware of the hazards, but sometimes we just need to be reminded that it is important to take care of ourselves and those that are working with us.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS:
Well, thank you very much for bringing up those safety concerns, something we all need to be very mindful of and not have the mentality of, oh, it’s never going to happen to me, it’s never going to happen to our organization Understanding why it is important for all of these, from lockout takeout to just communication with the team. I encourage listeners to really connect with past episodes. We have some compelling episodes on safety and green elevators, so check those out. Ken, you’ve been wonderful for sharing these valuable insights into proper spring grain drying and storage practices. It’s been enlightening discussion. I’m sure our listeners have a lot learned and gained from your expertise. Before we go, I want to give you an opportunity to share any means for listeners to connect with you, connect with your organization and for any younger listeners who are joining the show. Why is this an industry? That would be exciting and, in many cases, innovative for those looking to pursue this space.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
Well, I’ll probably talk about the last point first, and that is I think there’s lots of opportunities in agriculture in a whole spectrum of different levels. Certainly, farming today is not what it used to be. We’re working with large equipment and a lot of technology, a lot of sophistication that didn’t exist 20, 30 years ago, and so there’s a lot of opportunities there. And we get into agribusiness with the elevators. There’s a lot of opportunities whether you’ve got more of a business focus or if you have more of the equipment technology area. There’s lots of opportunities. And then I even am starting to get close to retiring myself and you start thinking, okay, who’s going to replace me? And I think that there are opportunities out there for people that have more of a science focus or engineering focus, whether it be with a university or with industry. There’s some of the major companies I know that employ people that have this kind of expertise, and so I think there’s a range of opportunities of doing an overview of some of the key topics.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
I typically will refer back to someone that thought that they kind of knew everything about grain storage and drying and that they could do all of it, do a presentation by themselves, and then they listened to somebody like me talk for a while and started realizing that you know there’s a lot more to this than what I think.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
But what makes it kind of interesting and challenging is that I frequently say in my presentations that I’ll focus a lot on the fundamentals, and the reason that I do that is that each year ends up being different. Mother Nature may give us a dry year, it may give us a wet year, cold year, warm year Each harvest ends up being different, and each year handling this grain ends up being different. So then we take that basic fundamental knowledge that we have and we’re able to apply it and maximize the economic investment that we have, that we’re able to maintain the quality of the grain, either through the drying system or the storage environment, and so it’s one that, when you start looking at, I guess what makes me encouraged is the ability to work with a whole variety of different types of grains and technology, and then, if we apply it appropriately, we end up with success at the end.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS:
I like it. I like it. Thank you very much. I appreciate that. In fact, on behalf of the entire team at the Green Elevator and Processing Society Jeeps, we express our gratitude to you, dr Ken Hellevang, for sharing your insights and expertise in providing a lasting legacy to advancing the grain industry. We thank you so much.
Dr. Ken Hellevang:
You’re welcome.
Jim Lenz, GEAPS:
And thank you for listening to this episode of Whole Grain. Whole Grain is a production of GEAPS, the Grain Elevator and Processing Society. GEAPS is the largest organization dedicated to advancing the grain handling and processing industry. Be sure to check out the website jeepscom. That’s g-e-a-p-scom. Continue listening, share the news of the show with your friends and colleagues. Have yourself a great day and thanks for listening to Whole Grain.
