Industry expert outlines how to handle canola harvested at higher-than-normal moistures
By Kate Ayers
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Given weather conditions this fall, Western Canadian producers have been forced to take canola off the field at higher moistures than usual. So, Farms.com connected with a crop expert for her advice on how to handle this wet crop.
“Ideally, we harvest canola at 10 per cent (moisture) or less,” Angela Brackenreed, a canola harvest and storage specialist in eastern Manitoba, said to Farms.com yesterday.
“When we are getting this late in the year and weather conditions have not been co-operative, we really have to start considering taking it off higher than that.”
Before farmers head out to the field, they need to consider their ability to condition the harvested canola crop. After all, a higher moisture requires more conditioning.
“You have to think about how many acres you have left to take off. What is your drying capability? What will your local elevator accept? Do you have dry canola to blend with (the wet crop) so that you can deliver,” it to the elevator, Brackenreed said.
“It’s not fun when you’re trying to take off canola that is over 13 per cent moisture. But, when the alternative is to potentially leave it in the field over the winter, I think it is worth it to try and take (the crop) off at higher moistures than we’re used to.”
Conditions for drying the crop with ambient air will continue to deteriorate as the season progresses, so producers may need to consider using supplemental heat, if available.
“Even in more normal circumstances, as we get later in the year, drying becomes a real challenge when we’re using natural air. Air that is less than 10 C (50 F) has really limited drying potential,” Brackenreed said.
When using heated air, the “temperature of air blown needs to be over 10 C to effectively dry. We don’t want to heat the air anymore than 15 to 20 C (59 to 68 F) though, so this (method) really isn’t an option when we get ambient conditions below 0 C (32 F).”
Producers should turn the bulk at least every two to three days. And to limit damage from hot air drying, producers “ideally do not want to remove more than 5 per cent moisture content per cycle,” she added.
“For damp canola (12.5 per cent or more), lessen temperature by at least 10 C. Be sure to check recommended temperatures for your style of dryer and don’t exceed them.”
However, if drying is not an option, ensuring the bulk stays cool is another option for safe storage.
“I would be inclined to say that if we can get the temperature of the bulk sufficiently cold, we can stabilize a bulk of canola at higher moistures than we would normally want to store,” Brackenreed said.
“If we can get (the bulk) to less than 5 C (41 F), biological activity is greatly reduced and even canola of moisture contents in the 12 per cent range can be stabilized. But, the big concern is that if it starts to warm up by any degree, from the sun beating down on the bin for example, you have a bulk that is extremely volatile.”
Producers must be cautious and diligently monitor bin conditions and the crop when storing high-moisture canola, Brackenreed stressed.
Both bags and bins are effective methods for storing canola.
“Work done by the University of Manitoba showed that canola at 14 per cent moisture can be safely stored in bags for three to four weeks,” she said.
“Anecdotally, we hear often that bag storage is better. I think one of the reasons could be that it is less of a closed system than a steel bin. … But there is no definitive answer.”
Bags also offer more flexibility when using cold air to dry the canola.
“With canola that is upwards of 15 per cent moisture and you are blowing cold air into the bin, you risk completely freezing the free moisture into a large clump. (This situation) can plug up the hopper bin and cause issues,” Brackenreed said.
“A bag is better in that circumstance because you can break up that frozen bulk with a loader.”
However, when using bags, producers must be aware of the bags’ accessibility. If things do start to warm up, producers should have a plan of how to transfer the grain to a dryer.
Looking at the condition of the 2018 crop, some canola that producers have harvested has a compromised quality.
“The biggest quality issue at this point is green seed. … The cold conditions began in some areas where the crop wasn’t mature yet,” Brackenreed said.
“Unfortunately, that is very unlikely to clear. As you start harvest, you may just have to accept the green seed levels … and don’t leave it in hopes that it is going to start clearing.”
Elevator tolerances for green seed are up to 2 per cent for No. 1, up to 6 per cent for No. 2, and up to 20 per cent for No. 3, she said.
Fortunately, “it appears that the weather has really turned around in Western Canada and I have received reports that canola is coming off dry,” Brackenreed said.
Devon Walker photo