All the hard work you put into storing your grain can be wiped out without proper ventilation. Agricultural fans keep air circulating so that heat and moisture are controlled, preventing deterioration of your grain and your livelihood. For grain to be properly stored, it needs to be in an environment where heat and moisture are reduced and ventilation is essential to achieving this.
When storing the grain you’ve brought in from a harvest it’s vital that it stays dry in order to remain fresh and make it to market. Low- and high-speed fans help to ventilate the storage area so that grain can stay dry and healthy. Benefits of agricultural fans for grain storage include:
- Humidity control
- Excess heat removal
- Prevention of diseases and pests
- Increase in fresh carbon dioxide
- Energy savings
Let’s take a look at each of these reasons so you can see why agricultural fan ventilation helps improve your grain storage.
Humidity Control
A lack of, or excess in, humidity does more than increase the possibility of rot with your grain. It can also foster the development of diseases and pests. When so much grain is stored together, humidity increases. Fans decrease the moisture by blowing off some of the water, helping to keep grain dry. Controlling humidity benefits grain storage and makes sure your stores stay happy and healthy.
Excess Heat Removal
Just like your farm animals need to stay cool in warm conditions to be happy and healthy, so too does your grain. Heat can naturally build up while your grain is sitting in the silo, and this heat from can negatively impact the quality of your product. Fans decrease the negative impact of heat built up through storage.
Prevention of Rotting, Diseases, and Pests
Humidity is a pest’s or disease’s best friend. This is because it creates exceptional growing and breeding conditions for threats like mold, fungus, mildew, and spider mites. Besides the benefit of agricultural fans drying up surface areas, the breeze from the fan makes it difficult for insects to take up home in your grain stores.
Energy Savings
When your grain suffers due to a lack of ventilation, or the temperature gets too high, it takes more energy to return your storage unit to the proper climate. Agricultural fans create an ideal environment that lessens environmental impact while providing more savings on energy and costs.
How to Improve the Air Quality Circulated by Agricultural Fans
Not all air quality brought into a grain storage facility is created equal. Poor air quality that’s circulated through agricultural fans may even increase the amount of fungi, mold, and pests on your grain. That’s why only agricultural fans paired with effective supply fan covers, perforated ducts, clamp bands, and end caps that are properly designed for your unique grain storage units should be used.
You can control the amount of energy you’re using with your fans by choosing between low-volume, high-speed fans or high-volume, low-speed fans in a variety of configurations. If your grain storage experiences any breeze or natural ventilation, that will also affect the correct placement and volume of ventilation. Improper agricultural fan sizing or location can negatively impact grain storage. Ventilation will need to be adjusted as seasons change to continue providing the best benefits.
If you’d like more information on how to improve the agricultural fan system you’re currently using or how to add agricultural fans to your farm, contact Woofter Construction to request a quote for agricultural fans. Find out more how you can best store your grain and make sure you provide the best possible product.