Post-Harvest Handling of Crops

William Wilcke, Professor and Extension Engineer

Objective

The objective of this program is to help managers of crop drying and storage systems (this includes farmers and other agribusiness personnel) increase profitability, improve product quality, and reduce energy use through selection of appropriate post-harvest equipment and proper management of that equipment.

Need or Impact

Minnesota is one of the top five grain-producing states in the United States. Because Minnesota is near the end of the transportation pipeline and because much of Minnesota’s grain is fed to livestock, a high percentage of our grain is stored after harvest. Communication with farmers and other agribusiness personnel indicates that there is a continuing need for basic information about drying grain and managing stored grain, for troubleshooting unusual grain drying and storage problems, for planning upgrades to Minnesota’s aging drying and storage facilities, for adapting new equipment and management techniques, and for adjusting to annual weather, fuel cost, and grain price situations. During the past year, grain drying and storage issues included: rapidly rising energy costs, which increased the cost of grain drying and the need for alternatives; a larger than normal amount of grain in storage due to high yields, low grain prices, and transportation disruptions caused by hurricanes; and warmer than normal temperatures during storage.

The growth of markets for alternative crops, identity preserved crops, or crops grown under alternative conditions (such as organic crops), has increased the need for new kinds of management information. Increasing fuel costs have increased the demand for information on saving energy in crop drying and for information on renewable fuels for crop drying. The post-harvest Extension program reaches thousands of farmers and other agribusiness personnel per year through workshops, individual contacts, press releases, informal publications, and our post-harvest website. Activities during the last year included presentations at conferences for farmers in northwest Minnesota and eastern North Dakota; small group sessions on selecting fans for grain bins; and presentations to personnel who manage stored grain at country elevators.

Status

Ongoing.