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 crop can be dry enough to combine but still too wet to store safely in a bin through winter or into summer. Safe storage depends on moisture content, grain temperature and how long you plan to keep the crop.
Excess moisture encourages mould growth, which can contribute to heating in a bin. A small hot spot can start a chain reaction that eventually spoils an entire bin, so grain should be dried, cooled and monitored as soon as it goes into storage.
Moisture and temperature work together to affect grain storage life. Warm grain with high moisture has a greater risk of spoilage, while cooler grain at the same moisture level can remain in storage much longer.
Safe storage charts show how moisture content and grain temperature affect storage risk. If both readings fall within the “no spoilage” zone, the charts indicate a storage period of up to five months, or six months for wheat, provided conditions remain stable.
Grain outside that zone needs to be cooled or dried until it reaches the safe range. These charts are available for wheat, barley, oats, canola, flax, peas, beans and yellow mustard.
Even grain that grades dry can develop mould if stored too warm. Mould can begin growing when the air between the seeds reaches about 70% relative humidity. At 25°C, this corresponds to roughly 8.3% moisture in canola and 13.9% in wheat, below their dry-grade limits of 10.0% and 14.5%, respectively.
Crop | Straight grade (dry) | Tough range |
Wheat (western classes) | 14.5% or less | 14.6% to 17.0% |
Barley, general purpose | 14.8% or less | 14.9% to 17.0% |
Barley, malting | 13.5% or less | 13.6% to 17.0% |
Oats | 13.5% or less | 13.6% to 17.0% |
Canola | 10.0% or less | 10.1% to 12.5% |
Flaxseed | 10.0% or less | 10.1% to 13.5% |
Mustard | 9.5% or less | 9.6% to 12.5% |
Peas | 16.0% or less | 16.1% to 18.0% |
Green lentils | 14.0% or less | 14.1% to 16.0% |
Red lentils | 13.0% or less | 13.1% to 16.0% |
Chickpeas | 14.0% or less | 14.1% to 16.0% |
Dry beans | 18.0% or less | No tough grade |
These figures are Canadian grain-grading moisture limits, not guaranteed safe-storage limits. Safe storage also depends on grain temperature and storage time.
For storage, wheat moisture should generally be at or below the straight-grade limit of 14.5% for western Canadian classes. Wheat with moisture between 14.6% and 17.0% is graded tough. Temperature affects how safely wheat can be stored at these moisture levels. Wheat at 15% moisture and 5°C falls in the safe range on a safe storage chart, while grain at 16% and 25°C falls in the spoilage range.
Watch for uneven moisture, too. A bin averaging 14.5% moisture can still contain wetter pockets, particularly if harvest conditions varied. These pockets can become hot spots and affect the surrounding grain. Cool wheat soon after harvest and continue monitoring it, even when the average moisture reading meets the dry-grade limit.
General-purpose barley has a straight-grade moisture limit of 14.8% or less. Malting barley has a tighter limit of 13.5% or less. Malting barley should generally be dried to 13.5% for storage or delivery and should not be stored above 14.5% for long periods, because higher moisture raises the risk of heating, mould and reduced germination.
Preserving germination is essential for malting quality. The industry standard is at least 95% germination energy, and barley that falls short may be rejected for malting. If you use heated air for drying, the air temperature must not exceed 43°C. Dry slowly with large volumes of air, and include a cooling period to keep the core of the bin from heating.
Canola’s high oil content means it needs a lower storage moisture target than cereal grains. Canola grades dry at 10.0% moisture or less, but that is not automatically a suitable target for longer-term storage.
The canola moisture storage chart shows how strongly temperature affects storage risk. The moisture level associated with spoilage ranges from about 12% at 10°C to about 7% at 50°C. In practical terms, 8% canola is still too wet if the grain is 25°C or warmer, while 10% canola is probably safe if it stays at 5°C or colder.
For longer-term storage, aim for 8% moisture or less and a grain temperature of 15°C or less. Condition canola right after combining, since even dry seed releases moisture through respiration in the first hours to weeks after harvest. Cool it below 15°C at harvest, then run fans again in early winter to bring the grain to 0°C or lower.
Flaxseed grades dry at 10.0% moisture or less, while mustard grades dry at 9.5% or less. Like canola, both are oilseeds that require lower storage moisture levels than cereals.
Oats grade dry at 13.5% moisture or less. Check moisture content and grain temperature against the oats safe storage chart when filling the bin.
Most pulse crops are considered dry enough for safe storage at their dry-grade moisture limits: 16.0% for peas, 14.0% for chickpeas and green lentils, and 13.0% for red lentils. Peas are often threshed at 18% to 20% moisture to reduce cracking, peeling and shatter losses. If you harvest at those levels, plan for drying afterwards and ensure adequate airflow when using natural air.
Dry beans are the exception among pulses. They grade dry up to 18.0%, but longer-term storage calls for 14% moisture, and 16% is acceptable only for short-term storage.
If you add supplemental heat when drying pulses, limit the temperature increase to 10°C or less and use a heating system certified by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA).
Grain can deteriorate even after it reaches its target moisture content. When grain in the centre of the bin is more than 5°C warmer than grain near the wall, moisture can start building up near the lid. With canola, a grain temperature that stops falling or begins to rise while outdoor air continues to cool can be an early sign of spoilage.
Take care with sampling as well. Moisture testers aren’t designed for cold grain, so seal cold samples in a container, bring them indoors, and let them sit for 6 to 12 hours before testing.
Temperature and moisture cables make it easier to monitor grain without climbing the bin. Our V2 Bindapt+ 2.0 Monitor reads OPI and Bin-Sense cables and can send text or email alerts when conditions change. Headspace CO2 sensors can provide even earlier warning, detecting developing problems up to 14 days before grain cables show a temperature increase. Our Visual Farm platform brings bin data from multiple sites into one dashboard.
For more information on safe storage times for different crops and conditions, see our guide on how long grain can be stored.
If you’re storing grain close to its safe moisture limits this season, contact Adaptive Agriculture to talk through monitoring and drying options for your bin yard, or browse our grain management products to find a setup that fits your operation.
It depends on the crop, and temperature matters as much as moisture.
Some farmers cool and eventually freeze tough canola over winter, then dry it with natural air in spring when days are warmer and longer. This has worked well for many, but it carries risk. Damp canola can spoil quickly with any spike in outside temperature, and canola above 15% can freeze into a solid block that will not flow out of the bin.
Be very careful. Moisture moves slowly from seed to seed, so blending can put your dry canola at risk instead of fixing the damp canola.
Aeration mainly cools grain. It can remove some moisture when outdoor air has enough drying capacity, but drying requires 0.5 to 1.0 cfm/bu, compared with 0.1 to 0.25 cfm/bu for cooling.
For grain in longer-term storage, check temperatures at least once a month. Monitor canola closely for the first six weeks after harvest, when seed respiration can be high, and keep checking it regularly until delivery. Cable alerts help catch changes between checks.
