Our IoT products are a plug-and-play solution for your grain bin. All devices read in-bin grain cables for grain temperature and moisture monitoring.
Different devices are used for In-Bin Drying & Hydrating and are able to automate the fan and heater with our modular control boxes.
Managing your grain is essential to running a profitable operation. Whether you are tracking, storing, monitoring or conditioning we have build a platform for all your grain management needs!
Adaptive Agriculture has been providing the Bindapt+ In-Bin Drying system since the foundation of the organization. Through customer feedback and R&D we have continued to develop valuable tools to assist farmers with their In-Bin Drying applications.
Manage your farm with your TEAM in a simple intuitively designed application from your Mobile or Desktop.
Manage all grain bin inventories (Grain, Fertilizer, Other). Monitor all available cables and set alerts to text or email
Fly between fields and track crop plans, field activities, and get virtual weather!
Track notes on all Bins, Fields, and Tasks to keep everyone updates with the latest accurate information
Geolocation allows you to pin-point areas of interest/concern in the field and place scouting markers for the future
Collaborate with you farm team, add additional users to you farm and keep everyone on the same page.
Additional features and integrations are constantly being worked on and evaluated. Each year there are always significant improvements to the platform.
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A peak is normal when filling a grain bin, but it can change how air moves through the grain. That matters when you’re trying to cool, dry, or maintain grain in storage. Uneven airflow means some areas take longer to cool, leaving grain near the top more vulnerable to heating and moisture problems.
For farmers storing canola, spring wheat, barley, peas, flax, or oats, understanding how a grain peak affects airflow can help you manage aeration and grain storage more effectively.
Grain naturally forms a cone-shaped peak as it flows into a bin. How steeply it piles up depends on the crop, grain condition, and how you fill the bin.
Fines and foreign material also affect how grain settles in the bin. As grain falls from the fill spout, fines, broken kernels, chaff, and weed seeds tend to fall straight down and collect beneath the spout, while larger, whole kernels roll towards the walls. This can leave a higher concentration of fines in the centre of the bin and contribute to a more pronounced peak.
Air moves most easily through areas where the grain is shallow. This means a bin with a deep central peak gets less airflow through the centre and more around the sides.
Research on peaked grain bins found that airflow near the sides of the bin was two to three times higher than through the central core. Because the deeper grain at the centre creates more resistance, air tends to take the easier path toward the bin walls. As a result, little air may reach the top of the peak.
The type of crop also makes a difference. Small-seeded crops such as canola and flax pack together more tightly than larger-seeded cereals, creating more resistance to airflow. A deep peak can therefore have an even greater effect on aeration in these crops. Our guide to flax storage and aeration explains this in more detail.
Poor airflow through the centre of the bin makes it harder to remove heat and moisture from the grain near the peak. But airflow is only part of the problem. Moisture can also move through the grain as temperatures change.
During cold weather, the grain near the bin walls cools faster than the grain in the centre. This temperature difference can create convection currents that move warm, moist air upward through the centre of the grain. When that air reaches the colder grain near the top, it cools and can release moisture.
This can lead to:
Coring and levelling are the two main ways to reduce a grain peak, but they work differently.
Coring means removing grain from the centre of the bin through the unload system. This lowers the peak and removes some of the fines concentrated beneath the fill spout.
A common approach is to lower the peak by roughly half its height, then inspect the surface. If an inverted cone has not formed, the grain may be bridged, meaning it has formed a crust or arch that prevents it from flowing properly.
On-farm wheat drying research found that coring one or two truckloads can significantly improve airflow through the centre. Coring can also be done in stages as the bin is filled, which can remove more fines from the centre than waiting until the bin is full. If needed, the removed grain can be cleaned and returned to storage.
Levelling involves spreading grain from the existing peak toward the sides of the bin to create a flatter, more even surface. This can be done manually or with mechanical levelling equipment, depending on the bin and setup.
Levelling creates a more uniform grain depth, which can promote more even airflow through the grain. However, unlike coring, levelling redistributes fines rather than removing them from the bin.
A gravity spreader distributes grain more evenly as the bin is being filled, helping to prevent a peak from forming. However, research by the Prairie Agriculture Machinery Institute found that a gravity-spread bin had higher static pressure and lower overall airflow than a normally filled, peaked bin because the spreader packed the grain more densely.
So, while a spreader can help create a flatter surface, partially unloading the bin after filling is generally a more dependable way to improve airflow through the centre.
Aeration systems help maintain a more consistent grain temperature and, depending on the system, can also be used for drying or conditioning. However, effective aeration requires adequate airflow through the grain, particularly in a peaked bin.
Choosing the right aeration fan for your grain bin depends on the bin size, the crop being stored, and what you want the system to accomplish. For example, typical aeration rates for cooling range from about 0.1 to 0.25 cfm per bushel, while natural-air drying typically requires about 0.5 to 1 cfm per bushel.
A plenum sensor can also help you check how well your aeration system is working. It measures static pressure beneath the bin floor, which can help indicate whether the fan is providing enough airflow through the grain.
In a peaked bin, pay close attention to the upper sensors on the centre cable. Changes in temperature or moisture in this area can be an early warning sign of a developing problem.
During inspections, check the grain surface for crusting, condensation, insects, or unusual odours. Keeping a record of temperature, moisture, and aeration activity can help you spot trends and respond before problems worsen.
Adaptive Agriculture’s V2 Bindapt+ 2.0 Monitor gives you hourly temperature and moisture readings from compatible cables, with custom alerts to help you stay on top of changes. With Visual Farm, you can see temperature differences throughout the bin from your mobile device or computer, wherever you are.
A peak on its own doesn’t mean you have a storage problem. The risk comes when it leads to uneven airflow, slow cooling, or moisture collecting at the top centre without being noticed. By reducing the peak, using adequate aeration, and monitoring conditions in the bin, you can manage most of that risk.
Adaptive Agriculture provides in-bin grain drying and moisture management solutions for farms storing canola, spring wheat, barley, peas, flax, and oats. If peaked grain is making it harder to manage airflow or aeration in your bin, contact the Adaptive Agriculture team to discuss your setup and what could work better.
Longer runtime has limits because air still favours the shallower grain near the walls. Research and field observations show the core can take two to three times longer to cool. Reducing the peak usually improves airflow more effectively and helps avoid extra power costs and over-drying near the walls.
Aeration helps by evening out grain temperatures. It can’t replace drying grain that’s too wet, though, and running fans in unsuitable conditions can add moisture.
Match airflow and outside air conditions to your goal: cooling, drying, or conditioning. Once you start the fans, keep them running until the front has moved through the entire bin, including the peak.
Yes. Headspace sensors can detect carbon dioxide released by mould and insects, including activity developing near the peak, giving you an early warning of potential problems. Adaptive Agriculture’s CO₂ sensors can flag problems up to two weeks before grain cables show heating.
Check temperature trends, grain moisture, airflow, and the grain surface promptly. If heating continues, moving or coring the affected grain can help break up the hot spot.
