Storing uncured wheat and barley

[poorboy]

Have only had 3" of rain since the snow left and the crops look to be 2/3 of normal yield. Land is quite hilly and the low spots and water ways are still green and rest of the field is 100% ripe and 11.7 moisture. Seems like the plants are green, but not growing very fast. No noticeable difference in maturity the last week. Looks to be 5% green uncured kernels in the combine samples that I have done.

Years ago I would straight cut that and it would heat in the bin. Don't have a swather, so wondering how best to handle grain like this. Appears to be 2-3 weeks to get all the plants mature, but probably only 1 week to get most of the green seeds to change to a pale green. Thinking that the pale green kernels will change color in the bin on the wheat. Barley will start losing ripe heads in the wind before the last green kernels mature.

So wondering what options are best. Is a grain bag the best, so that the moisture has a chance to migrate to the dryer kernels and allow more time for the green kernels to dry and change color? Or is an aeration bin the best bet or a safe alternative? I don't want to dry the grain, but could run the fan a night or 2 to cool the grain.

With the drought, I will have lots of bins available. Not all of my bins have aeration, but it looks like a good time to install it if preharvest roundup gets banned and I dont really want to swath. I have lots of older 5000 bushel westeel bins. Full floor aeration is out of my price range, but see that edwards sells an above ground round helfer duct and westeel sells an inline and y system that uses 1/2 round tubes. Any feed back on these aftermarket cheap systems for existing flat bottom bins?

[furrowtickler]

Uneaven wheat is going to be a very widespread issue this fall . Sorry have no right answer for this one . Grading is not going to be fun , especially in real dry areas and early seeded crops

[Robertbarlage]

Go to the lake for couple weeks then it'll be ready.

[Sheepwheat]

Go to the lake for couple weeks then it'll be ready.

Just relax. You can’t speed nature. Well, some try to, but then herbicides get banned. 😉

[AlbertaFarmer5]

At 5% green, I'd be combining, and in fact do so nearly every year. If the rest is 11.5%, the moisture will migrate to the dry stuff and be fine. I would definitely want temp cables, or at least rods to pull out to monitor. I find that our screw top moisture tester doesn't pick up the greens, and usually reads low when green kernels are in the sample, so don't harvest at 15% and forget about it.

Depends on variety and weather, but I'm paranoid of leaving ripe barley stand for very many days before the straw breaks down and heads hit the ground.

In the flat bottom bins, half round; straight and Y pipe, or cross duct aeration are more than adequate. I combine at 15 to 20% and put in those type of bins. At the higher moisture the grain needs to be turned to get rid of the dead air spots.

[wmoebis]

Dark immature and grass green are degrading factors be careful even if they dry in bin they can still degrade. Happens not only with harvesting early but alsso if dries too fast in swath and with spraying too early.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

Dark immature and grass green are degrading factors be careful even if they dry in bin they can still degrade. Happens not only with harvesting early but alsso if dries too fast in swath and with spraying too early.

I should have added that I am growing feed wheat and barley only. Weight and moisture are my concerns, not grade. But I'd still rather have all the bushels in the bin with some greens than have half of the good grain laying on the dirt because I waited too long for the greens.

[ajl]

Uneaven wheat is going to be a very widespread issue this fall . Sorry have no right answer for this one . Grading is not going to be fun , especially in real dry areas and early seeded crops

Grading will be easy. All wheat is feed wheat. With feed prices at 6.20/bu it is time to sell feed grade wheat as a lot of wheat will get downgraded due to the reasons explained in this post. Careful selling higher grade wheat.

[AC man]

I would swath if that was my crop but you can only straight cut. Are there too many low spots that you can come back and do later? I know this is an option maybe if not too many green areas. I have both the half round weststeel aeration and the Edwards rocket system. The Edwards is the way to go for a flat floor bins that you have. The half rounds do work but the Edwards is better with it’s centre rocket for drying and cooling grain. Both are a pain to clean bins out unless you have a grain vac. I hope this helps you.

[ajl]

I would stick this in a hopper bin or a bin you could just leave a cone in for a while and let it heat and sweat for a few days to even out and then auger it out and transfer to another bin for long term storage. It will be a PIA but likely the only option you have.

[poorboy]

No swather so waiting will be the choice. I live east of Calgary and will be trying for gradable wheat and malt barley.

I think a lot of the green kernels will shrivel up and come out as dockage.

When I first started straight cutting the green kernels would heat on me, but I had no aeration then. Thinking of trying a little bit, because if preharvest roundup disappears then I will have to either harvest immature grain with a few green kernels or go back to swathing. Expect moisture to average 14.5 on wheat and 13.5 on barley once the green ones are added.

Never have pushed the window on aeration, usually just cool grain for storage. Grain almost always comes off dry here.