Check your bins

[farmaholic]

Checked my bins - put 35T of DDGs in one in August - it's a solid lump now. Never mind bitcoin miners I need some DDG miners - any volunteers?

Sounds like you got some damp distiller's grain versus the dry distiller's grain you were expecting.

Or does this stuff just compact and lump up?

What is the moisture supposed to be? Take a couple of lbs and weigh it as is....then throw that sample in the oven on real low heat to dry it...weight it again. What's the difference on a percentage basis? I doubt you would have any recourse anyway if its wetter that it should be.

Good luck....AND BE CAREFUL!!!!

[Rareearth]

Grain vac, poke,poke,poke

If need be make a adapter from the 6 inch vac hose to a three inch cam lock fitting. Then get a long piece of 3 inch water hose to go into the top of the bin and vac it out, slowly. DO NOT RUN A GRAIN AUGER WHEN DOING or RISK SUFFICATION grain collapse.

Pulse crops tend to spoil from the top down. Always look in the top before unloading, and if need be vac the top off. Not saying it’s fast or easy but it will save you a bin full of feed.

[Oliver88]

It was straight cut, zero green, 8% moisture combined on October 28. Only thing I can think of is early morning dew or late evening frost on the plant that made the chaff tough but not enough to really raise overall moisture much.

Moisture cables are worth the money.

Do you find the moisture cables to be accurate when compared to the grain terminal?

[grassfarmer]

Thats no good!
Do you feed them alone or mix them with barley? How does price / protein compare to rolled barley?

It's going into the cow ration along with straw and corn silage, we needed protein as much as the energy. 78TDN, 31% protein. Priced very favourably to barley for the analysis. Shame it's a PIA to handle.

...Or does this stuff just compact and lump up?

I think that's the issue rather than moisture. It would be around 90% dry matter. It was light and fluffy powder when it came but every particle seems to bind to its neighbour once it settles.

All suggestions and warnings appreciated. I've been reading up on it and seems its a common problem, unfortunately I didn't know that when I binned it. Guys in the US with it in hopper bins suggest sticking some dynamite up the hopper - yeah, I don't think i'll be trying that!

[Rareearth]

Don’t bin it.
Put it in a shed and load rations with a skid steer or loader, that’s how they load the trucks. Congrats on stepping out of the box, nothing wrong with cost effective and better, just have to figure out the easier part

[LEP]

Do you find the moisture cables to be accurate when compared to the grain terminal?

Depends which terminal. Richardson is very close and Viterra is .5% higher than the cables. Noticed in 2016 at very high moisture they were more accurate than my 919 or the elevators.

[Oliver88]

Depends which terminal. Richardson is very close and Viterra is .5% higher than the cables. Noticed in 2016 at very high moisture they were more accurate than my 919 or the elevators.

That’s impressive accuracy.
Moisture cables would be helpful when drying with supplemental heat.

[LEP]

That’s impressive accuracy.
Moisture cables would be helpful when drying with supplemental heat.

They are worth every penny imo.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

They are worth every penny imo.

I installed a couple moisture cables last year for drying with heat. What I am finding is that the moisture reading is accurate before applying heat, and after cooling, but while applying heat, they continue to read much higher than actual. So I am no wiser as to when to stop applying heat. Any thoughts?

[LEP]

I installed a couple moisture cables last year for drying with heat. What I am finding is that the moisture reading is accurate before applying heat, and after cooling, but while applying heat, they continue to read much higher than actual. So I am no wiser as to when to stop applying heat. Any thoughts?

I have a dryer so I don't heat the bins to dry. I just know that I can rely on them in the wet bin to be accurate even up to 25% durum and 14% canola

[Oliver88]

I have a dryer so I don't heat the bins to dry. I just know that I can rely on them in the wet bin to be accurate even up to 25% durum and 14% canola

They sound like a very worthwhile investment if the accuracy is there at damp conditions.
(I only have temperature cables so wasn’t sure.)