ABSTRACT
Grain has been an important agricultural commodity and primary food source for centuries. The present distribution of the world’s population has made strong demands on grainhandling technology. Irrespective of whether it is international trade or demands within a country, grain needs low moisture levels for safe storage. Drying has always been the most common method of preserving grain. In the days of premechanization of agriculture, enough grain was usually stored by hanging ears of corn in barn lofts and attics to meet the needs of a community. As mechanization of agriculture spreads to meet the needs of a population that was rapidly growing and urbanizing, mechanical methods for drying large quantities of grain were needed. Grain now travels thousands of miles either in large grain-carrying ships or in different types of carriers on wheels, and must reach its destination in a highquality state. Proper drying of these huge quantities of grain is a prerequisite to safe storage and delivery.
