Learn about Grain Management
As opposed to the classical reactive monitoring approach, OPI’s advanced grain storage management takes a proactive approach to ensuring the highest possible return on your grain assets with grain temperature and moisture monitoring and automated control. Rather than seeing grain storage as a cost centre, we want you to be in the driver’s seat—dictating market terms and extracting the highest possible value through the application of our market-enabling technology. Improve your bottom line with our integrated Grain Management System strategies:
Automated Fan Control
OPI Blue and Integris solutions enable you to automate the operation of your grain conditioning systems to maximize the value of your stored assets. In addition to optimizing quality and moisture content, you will be able to minimize costs through electrical, fumigation and labour savings. And with more confidence, you can also turn your storage into a profit centre by being paid carry to store longer.
Alarms & Fan Controls
Prevent grain spoilage with an on-screen, audio, visual, text message or e-mail alarm notifications that are sent directly to your desktop or wireless device. Receive ongoing software updates and help desk access with options for extended warranty and annual site maintenance.
Temperature Monitoring
Temperature and moisture cables take the guesswork out of the state of your grain, no matter where you are. Control humidity, aeration and temperature from your wireless device, desktop, home or office for optimal grain quality and storage life.
Wireless Solutions
Avoid trudging through snow and treading across the terrain to physically check your bins, and instead, monitor all bin activity wireless from the palm of your hands.
By integrating OPI’s moisture cable with one of our systems, users can now measure and adjust the progress and completion of conditioning or drying strategy. A moisture cable is an ideal tool for grain handlers to track in-bin drying, conditioning and shrink, allowing users to deliver unmatched grain quality.
Establish the most efficient conditioning program with complete moisture and temperature monitoring and fan control system. OPI’s moisture cables monitor grain moisture content and temperature through the bin to track natural air drying and in-bin conditioning.
What is Grain Conditioning?
Grain conditioning increases the storage life of grain and minimizes grain spoilage and quality loss. The primary conditioning operations are in-bin natural drying of grain to reduce the grain moisture, followed by aeration to cool the grain. Sometimes over-dried grain can also be rehydrated to acceptable moisture levels to minimize shrink loss.
In-Bin Natural Air Drying
Grain bins equipped with a proper aeration system can be successfully used to dry grain using natural air and a little supplemental heat (optional). Natural air in-bin drying is the highest quality and most energy-efficient process. Appropriate and automated fan control strategies are required to optimize the drying performance with uniform drying, energy efficiency and minimum under/over-drying.
Grain Aeration
Grain aeration lowers grain temperature to increase safe storability and protection against mould and insects. Once the grain has reached target drying it must be cooled as soon as possible, and should be uniformly cooled to 1.7-4.4°C or 35-40°F for winter holding. Do not freeze the grain as it may result in significant condensation in the following spring/summer.
Grain Rehydration
At times, crops such as soybeans and canola arrive from the fields at 2-3% below the maximum acceptable straight grade moisture levels. Physically adding water to the grain is illegal and considered adulteration. However, moisture can be legally added by blowing natural humid air through the grain silo.
Dryeration
Dryeration is the process of high-temperature grain drying and subsequent cooling (aeration). In dryeration, grain from a high-temperature dryer is removed with 2-3% higher moisture than desired for safe storage levels and placed in tempering (also referred to as heat soaking, steeping, and steaming) bins and then slowly aerated/cooled.
Natural Air
The amount of water vapor in the air is determined by the combination of temperature and relative humidity. Since warm air can hold more water vapor when it is cooled and humidified in the drying process, it is preferred for drying.
Optimize the value of your grain in the most environmentally-friendly way with advanced technology tools that deliver precise real-time information on the state of your grain. Prevent mold, mites, insects and microbes from contaminating and guarantee the best yield for your hard work. Our technology provides the ability to monitor and control exact stored grain conditions to the best possible market advantage. Safe storage refers to the storage of grain for more extended periods without any spoilage or quality loss. Stored grain changes physically and chemically during the storage period. Freshly harvested grain—usually at higher moisture and temperature levels—respires and produces additional heat and moisture, leading to hotspot development, mold growth, mycotoxins development and grain spoilage in storage. Dry, cool, and clean grain can be safely stored for longer periods with careful moisture and temperature monitoring and appropriate grain management practices.
Temperature and Moisture Monitoring
Temperature cables are also used as input in aeration fan control, ensuring that the fan is operated only when the ambient air is cooler than the grain, for efficient cooling with minimum fan operation and without heating the grain.
Tracking grain moisture levels during drying ensures that the fan is operated unless the grain is thoroughly dried. It also helps to prevent over-drying the grain, estimating the safe storage period and potential risk of spoilage, and making the right management decisions about handling, storing and selling the grain.