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Article Source: Grain dryers - AG INFORMATION NETWORK OF THE WEST - AGInfo Ag Information Network
Grain dryers
For farmers seeking to increase their grain harvesting capacity or efficiency, adding a new grain dryer for next season can be a good option. Jeff Cravens, GSI regional sales director, says there are several factors to consider in selecting the right dryer for your operation.
“First and foremost is usually capacity. I start with the average daily intake from a total harvest perspective and then the amount of hours they want to run the dryer. Typically, 10 to 15 hours is the goal, if it can run that long and keep up with your daily harvest, that’s usually about where the start is. All dryers in the industry are rated on wet intake bushels, not dried bushels out of the dryer. So, you have to account for shrink if that’s what you’re going to focus on and that can be usually in the five to 15 percent range.”
He says dryer selection also depends on the right style or type of dryer for your operation.
If you’re one big main grain system for your farm that you centrally transport to or if you have multiple facilities that you’ve got scattered out here and you’re wanting to add a dryer here and there, those will vary by what you buy, size, type everything. So, the one thing that I always see people missing is possibility of labor available, things like that based on the type of dryer they buy. They all require different levels of inputs by the end user, but they all do different things a little better than the others.”
Finally, Cravens says there are many different dryer types requiring different types of management.
“You can get in-bin drying such as fans, heaters, stirring machines on grain bins, those types of things. Portable style dryers, tower dryers. A portable dryer requires a little bit more input than like a tower dryer, but you get more grain management opportunity out of that because you can change a lot of plenum temperatures, as you come through the dryer with grains, maintain quality those types of things. It takes more management out of the piece, which a tower dryer does right out of the gate.”
For more information, consult with your grain system dealer or visit grainsystems.com.
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