Farmers Review Africa Sept/Oct 2018 FRA - September - October 2018 digital 5 | Page 23

IMPORTANCE OF GRAIN
CLEANING AND STORAGE
By Facet Engineering CEO, Colin Fairweather
T
he quality of harvested grain and
seed is dependent important
factors such as the settings and
capacity of the harvester, the moisture
level of the grain or seed at the time of
harvest, the level of heat damage and
kernel breakage that may occur during
the harvesting process. Most of these
factors are extremely difficult, if not
impossible to control.
Furthermore, the quality of the grain or
seed starts to deteriorate as soon as it
has been harvested. It is therefore vital
that dirt and impurities are removed
as soon as possible. This will not only
delay the deterioration process, but
will also ensure that the product being
stored is of a high quality for end users.
Based on the aforementioned factors,
it is highly recommended that
harvested grain and seed are passed
through a grain cleaner and/or pre-
cleaner in order to optimize the quality
of the grain before it goes into storage.
Pre-cleaning grain before storage adds
value to the grain through the removal
of dirt, impurities and damaged
particles. It also ensures a longer life
of the grain whilst it is in storage.
Importance of cleaning before storage
Any dirt or particles smaller than the
grain can collect in areas inside the
storage silo. These foreign particles
can cause hot spots inside the silo,
which adversely affects the aeration of
the grain or seed. This can also result
in moisture collecting in these areas,
which can cause rot, mould and other
damage to the grain.
The additional impurities take up
valuable storage space inside the silo
– an unnecessary cost that can be
avoided if the grain has been cleaned
before being taken into storage. The
impurities can also contain harmful or
September - October 2018 | 21