GrainsWest Spring 2020

Spring 2020 grainswest.com 37 ow-tech air drying of grain may be a farming practice tailor made for these wet, financially constrained times. Multiple tough harvests have increased grain drying demands on Alberta farmers at a time when average farm income is down substantially. Can natural in-bin airdrying or natural aeration help Prairie farmers cope, and at an attractive price? Employing differing airflow levels, both involve blowing air into grain bins to dry harvested grain. Alberta farmers haven’t had to worry about on-farm drying until relatively recently, said Joy Agnew, Olds College director of applied research. “When these terrible harvests came along, a lot of them never had to dry before,” she said. “Didn’t have the infrastructure, didn’t have the knowledge.” Exploring the value of low-tech grain dryingmethods