Grain Drying

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 grain-handling technology. Irre-

spective of whether it is international trade or de-

mands 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 commu-

nity. 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 high-quality state. Proper

drying of these huge quantities of grain is a prerequis-

ite to safe storage and delivery.