Drying Considerations for the 1996 Corn Crop

The com harvest season has already started on some farms and is rapidly approaching for many others. Current market opportunities and previous contractual arrangements have some farmers thinking about starting their harvest earlier than usual. Other factors also suggest that a substantial portion of this year\u27s crop could be harvested at moisture contents between 24 and 32%

Operational Considerations for Harvesting Corn Above 25% Moisture Content

Many of Kentucky\u27s grain farmers are interested in harvesting corn at higher moistures than in recent years because of potential market trends and weather patterns. Corn that was planted early is near maturity in many western KY counties and fortunately, the market is higher than in previous years. Additionally, most elevators are offering premiums between 25 and 50 cents per bushel for corn delivered prior to Sept. 15 this year, so farmers who have drying equipment are poised to take advantage of this rare opportunity. In contrast, late planted corn may be threatened by an early frost, so actually both groups of farmers are seeking information regarding the precautions and opportunities for harvesting corn at moisture levels higher than they may have experienced in recent years when weather has been favorable for field drying

Costs, Construction and Suppliers for High Tensile Wire Fencing

There is increasing interest in the use of high tensile fencing because of its longer life and lower cost than conventional woven wire fence. Originally introduced to this country from Australia and New Zealand, high tensile fence is proving to be quite adaptable for use in intensive grazing management systems

Harvesting, Drying, and Storing Grain Sorghum

Grain sorghum (milo) has been successfully produced in many areas of Kentucky and can be grown in alternating years with soybeans to replace corn in a crop rotation cycle. For most of the past 20 years, it has ranked fourth in production of all grain crops grown in the state and was valued at $1.16 and$1.53 million in 1999 and 2000, respectively. Rotating milo with soybeans can help control soybean cyst nematodes and other pests that suppress yield. It can provide higher yields than corn in dry years, especially on sandy soils. The feed/energy value of milo is similar to corn, so it has been used successfully in balanced rations for beef, poultry, and swine and as a feedstock for ethanol production (Hamman et al., 2001). In fact, the 2002 Farm Bill (USDA, 2002) encourages an increase in the production of grain sorghum because of its use as an ethanol feedstock and the current national interest in reducing foreign oil imports

Permeability of Corn, Soybeans, and Soft Red and White Winter Wheat as Affected by Bulk Density

Darcy’s law is a function of viscosity, permeability, and velocity and can be used to predict the airflow resistance in granular materials at low air velocities. Permeability also governs the magnitude of natural convection currents during periods of non-aerated grain storage. The permeability of corn, soybeans, soft white winter wheat, and soft red winter wheat were measured as a function of bulk density and moisture content. Air was passed through a column of grain and the flow rate and pressure drop measured. Bulk density and kernel density were also measured to determine the porosity of grain in the test column. Two filling methods were used to change the bulk density of grain by approximately 50 kg/m3, an increase of 7%. This resulted in a reduction in porosity of approximately 4 percentage points. However, permeability decreased by a maximum of 45%. Wheat had the lowest permeability (between 1.15 × 10-8 and 7.29 × 10-9 m2 or highest resistance coefficient between 1591 and 2510 Pa.s/m2, respectively, depending on bulk density and moisture content), while corn and soybeans were similar (permeability varied between 1.30 × 10-8 and 3.03 × 10-8 m2 or resistance coefficient between 1,408 and 604 Pa·s/m2, respectively). Experiments were conducted up to an air velocity of 0.0052 m/s that resulted in a Reynolds number of 2.5, which was slightly above the maximum air velocity expected during non-aerated grain storage. Nevertheless, Darcy’s law would be appropriate for predicting natural convection currents during non-aerated storage

Pesticide Application and Handling Technology: Proper Disposal of Empty Pesticide Containers

Recycling has become more and more popular as our awareness of environmental concerns grow. These environmental concerns have led to increased participation in recycling efforts among today\u27s farmers. Many farmers throughout Kentucky are now able to recycle their empty plastic pesticide containers (Five gallon or less) due to a statewide Rinse and Return program. Recycling of empty containers provides a safe means of disposal for applicators, reduces landfill space, and protects our valuable water resources

Pesticide Application and Handling Technology: Installing a Sprayer Tank Rinse Circuit

Proper tank rinsing techniques for agricultural sprayers are very important in order to protect against cross-contamination in subsequent loads and to ensure safe disposal of any excess chemicals and rinsate (rinse water). Spray tanks and other sprayer components should be cleaned after each use. In most situations, sprayer rinsate will have to be sprayed out in the field - either onto a reserved strip, or by over-spraying in the treated area (subject to the terms of the product label)

Spatial Variation of Protein, Oil, and Starch in Corn

Significant spatial yield variations are known to exist in cornfields with different soil types, topsoil depth, and other variables. Similarly, variations might also be found among the highly valued chemical components (oil, protein, and starch) in corn kernels due to local differences in soil type, fertility, acidity/pH, organic matter, etc. This study quantified the spatial variability of protein, oil, and starch content of corn from two conventional cornfields and two high-oil cornfields. Whole ears were harvested by hand from 20 to 40 randomly selected locations within each field. A differential global positioning system (DGPS) receiver recorded the location of each collection site. Samples were also collected from hauling vehicles with a segmented probe prior to transport from the field and from the grain stream as trucks were unloaded. A NIRSystems ® 6500 near-infrared reflectance instrument was used to measure the protein, oil, and starch concentration of each sample collected. Yield maps were plotted for each type of corn along with protein, oil, and starch variation. Results showed large variations between the conventional and high-oil cornfields. Slight variations were found between truck probe samples from the same field. Oil content was more variable than protein or starch. Probe samples appeared to provide the most representative results. Segregation of grain based on average values of components in hauling vehicles appeared to be feasible. The oil concentration between truck hoppers was significantly different and could be used for binning corn of different concentrations. However, segregation on the combine during harvest does not appear to be feasible due to the large variations that occurred within fields at the same location. For example, the oil concentration of individual ears varied between 1 and 7 percentage points at the same location within the field

Seasonal Aeration Rates for the Eastern United States Based on Long-Term Weather Patterns

Most aeration fans are sized to produce a minimum airflow rate of 0.1 m3/min/t (0.1 cfm/bu) in on-farm grain storage structures. At this airflow rate a significant amount of time is required to move a cooling front completely through a bin. The desired grain temperature and prevailing weather conditions will have a significant effect on required fan size. Thirty years of weather data were analyzed for the eastern United States to determine the amount of time available in temperature windows between 0 to 15.C and 0 to 17.C. Contour maps were generated with ArcMap 8.3 for the percentage of each month within the given temperature windows. A substantial amount of time (over 4% of the month) is available within temperature limits of 0 and 17.C between September and April. This indicates that airflow rates of at least 0.6 m3/min/t (0.5 cfm/bu) would be more adequate to completely move an aeration front through a bin for summer harvested grain in Southern regions of the United States. However, during July and August only the northern half of the United States would have a sufficient amount of time available for cooling grain below 17.C using an airflow rate of 0.1 m3/min/t (0.1 cfm/bu). The maps generated provide a starting point for sizing aeration fans in the eastern United States

Effect of Moisture Content and Broken Kernels on the Bulk Density and Packing of Corn

Shelled yellow dent corn samples were conditioned to three moisture content levels (12%, 15%, and 18% w.b.) and mixed with a prescribed amount of broken corn particles of known size (geometric mean diameter of 1.0, 1.4, 2.0, 2.8, and 4.0 mm) and concentration (2.5%, 5.0%, and 7.5% by weight) levels. The initial bulk density and grain compaction under simulated overburden pressure tests were determined for each sample. Uniaxial compression tests were performed for seven vertical pressure levels (3.4, 6.9, 14, 28, 55, 110, and 165 kPa) with a minimum of three replications each. Tests were performed at two locations with identical apparatus, which was fully described by Thompson and Ross (1983). These devices used compressed air injected beneath a rubber diaphragm to apply vertical pressure uniaxially to a volume of granular material. Deflections of the grain mass were measured with a dial gauge and were used to calculate changes in bulk density and grain packing. Statistical models were tested for the initial bulk density and packing factor as a function of moisture content, broken corn particle size, and broken corn concentration level and their interactions. For clean corn, the initial bulk density was inversely affected by grain moisture while packing increased slightly with grain moisture. For corn mixed with fines, the initial bulk density decreased with grain moisture and the interaction of broken corn particle size and concentration but increased with the interaction of grain moisture and concentration of fines. Packing of corn mixed with fines increased slightly with grain moisture and broken corn concentration. For a given pressure, the predicted bulk density from the developed model was within 4% of the observed value, which was within the variation among test replications and may in fact represent observed differences in bulk density caused by bin loading methods that have been reported by other engineers. The results can improve predictions by WPACKING, the ASAE standard for estimating capacities of cylindrical grain storage structures