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Why do farmers dry grain before storing it? Here all the answers

Since ancient times, the drying of cereals has always been a decisive and necessary process to safely pass to the next step of storage. But for what reason? Do you want to find out why farmers dry grain before storing it? In this article, Mecmar provides you with the information you need to understand the advantages and benefits that allow you to better preserve harvested and dried cereals.

How the cereal drying process works

In the past and still today in some countries, the drying of cereal grains took place in the open air: the grains were spread out in the sun and collected only after several hours, or even days. Although the process was long and natural, it was still unable to guarantee high quality drying. Furthermore, for high volumes it was not possible to use this technique, due to the lack of free areas available. For this reason, today we use grain dryers: these technologically advanced machines allow the drying process to be greatly accelerated without, however, altering the quality of the grain.

A good grain dryer not only proceeds with a quick and safe drying of the grain, but it is also a compact and easy-to-manage machine within the company that involves low costs, especially when compared to larger but also slower machines in drying.

Mecmar has the best dryers for cereals, tower and mobile, equipped with a control system capable of monitoring the decisive parameters while the dryer performs its function, so that the operator, in the meantime, can take care of other activities. The fact that they are autonomous in carrying out their work makes them systems with excellent flexibility, capable of optimizing the quantity collected. An example is the most compact dryer in the Mecmar range, the NANO 5/40 T model, which allows you to dry about 40 tons of corn per day from 20 to 14% and also represents a very compact and agile solution.

The drying process is decisive as, if correctly carried out, it allows all farmers to preserve the cereal correctly and for long periods of time, allowing the defense of all the most important nutritional elements of the cereal. This process guarantees, in addition, to slow down the aging and fermentation activities that risk making the grain mouldy prematurely. In the absence of an adequate drying process, the development of toxins – such as aflatoxins – would irreparably damage the crop, thus generating an unnecessary increase in production costs and a decrease in productivity, therefore profits for the agricultural company.

However, good drying is not everything. For optimal storage there is also another aspect to consider: cleaning. In fact, any product is managed in the warehouse in a different and appropriate way for its use; but what unites well-stocked products is their cleanliness and order. This rule also applies to cereals: the drier and cleaner the cereal, the better its preservation.

Dirty or too wet grain storage can lead to short and long term degradation. This is why between harvesting and storage it is essential to insert the two phases of cleaning and drying the cereals.

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Why choose Mecmar dryers for your business?

Each company, whether small or large, has its own needs, which usually vary according to the quantity of product to be dried daily. As a rule, the drying process begins with a pre-cleaning of the raw material, followed by the actual drying phase. This phase is based on a principle of balance between the temperature of the cereal and that of the air used to dry it; the treated product is then stored in warehouses, where it can be stored for long periods of time.

Small farms generally opt for mobile grain dryers, ideal for being able to perfectly dry smaller quantities of cereals. Large companies or drying centers, on the other hand, need dryers capable of ensuring continuous productivity, without interruptions: in this case, tower dryers represent the most advantageous solution.

Choosing Mecmar dryers means relying on solutions that allow you to maximize profits: being able to adequately dry the cereals translates into the guarantee of preserving the product and then being able to sell it in the period of the year when the market offers the opportunity to sell to a higher price.

The main advantage offered by Mecmar dryers is found in their highly innovative nature: each dryer is thought and designed for the processing of different crops. Therefore, they represent the most optimal solution for agricultural activities that operate on an industrial level, which need to dry large batches of different cereals and legumes.

In this regard, mobile dryers work in a discontinuous cycle: this means that each phase of the drying cycle is carried out by the same machine which, depending on the step to be operated, works with a different configuration. Tower dryers, on the other hand, operate in a continuous cycle, which prepares the machine to work to dry large collections of product.

Furthermore, another advantage offered by Mecmar solutions is the cleaning effect of the product: while it is being dried, the cereal is also cleaned without the need of additional machinery to the production line. The cereal comes out of the dryer dry, clean and ready for storage.

Conclusion

Before storing the cereals inside the used warehouses, farmers must necessarily go through the drying phase, which guarantees that they can sell high quality and safe products, depending on what turns out to be the most profitable period.

For this reason, Mecmar offers grain dryers able to support your company in a constant improvement project, in order to reach a higher level of innovation: the experience gained in decades of activity in the sector will allow you to find the machine best suited to the needs of your business. Do not hesitate to contact us: our experts are at your complete disposal for any questions.