Ask the Doctor: Maintaining Grain Quality in Cold Weather
Bin monitoring tools like AGI BinManager and AGI SureTrack empower farmers to protect grain quality year‑round by delivering real‑time insights into temperature and moisture conditions. By understanding when freezing works in their favor—and how to manage airflow and thawing strategically—farmers can reduce risk, preserve grain value, and avoid costly storage issues. With the right data and timely action, growers stay in control of their grain, their timeline, and their profitability.
How should customers be utilizing bin monitoring technology like AGI BinManager and the AGI SureTrack online platform to check on their grain at this time of year?
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Customers should check whether their grain falls within the below temperature ranges based on their state’s location:
Northern states: 30-35°F
Middle band: 35-40°F
Southern states: 40-50°F
If grain temperatures are below these temperatures range, there’s no need to worry. If the grain temperatures are above these location specific temperatures, then the grain needs to be cooled to be within these location-specific temperatures range.
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Customers should check the grain moisture and its associated relative humidity. The relative humidity of the grain’s moisture should be less than 65-70%.
When should farmers be concerned with natural freezing? What proactive measures should they take to resolve this concern?
We don’t need to worry much about natural freezing. Freezing is good in terms of keeping the grain safe from microbial activity and mold, especially if grain wasn’t able to be dried down to a safe storage moisture content. However, if we don’t understand the science of thawing and managing freezing, we may end up icing and creating other issues. If you want to reduce the chance of freezing happening naturally, having shutters on fans can avoid natural convection in the grain mass.
When should farmers start to focus on thawing their grain?
It depends on when the farmer plans to sell their grain. The sooner a farmer plans to sell, the sooner they should begin to incrementally warm up their grain. For example, if planning to sell in May, grain should be thawed in increments of five degrees Fahrenheit until the grain temperature reaches 35-40°F.
If the sell date is beyond May, say in July, farmers can start thawing the grain the March/April with a 10-15°F difference between average ambient temperature and average grain temperature. For example, if the average ambient temperature is 50°F, the grain needs to be kept around 40°F. The goal is to continue selecting appropriate air temperatures and relative humidity (RH) to avoid condensation. Knowledge of dew point temperature is essential here.
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