[kendalwpg]

Whats everones opinion on binning tough oats? We have a half section of oats that are cut....first stuff was cut 2wks ago. Raining a little bit here every day or 2 and cant get started. Yesterday morn they were 14.6 but then had another small rain shower go through. At noon today they are 19% but it is windy with low humidity so they could drop a few points this aft.....only 60% chance of rain today! These are going into a 30K bus bin on air. At what point would it be safe to start if the fan stays running? It could be worse....my neighbors were cut at least a week sooner and they are using side delivery rakes to flip the swaths up!

 

[RM-MN]

I put about 1500 bushels of oats at 23% into a bin that had 1000 bushels of dry oats in it because I had no other option. I aerated them with 3 screw in aerators and ended up with a foot diameter of spoiled oats. It isn't the best but what are your options? Leave them in the field for another 2 weeks and hope it gets drier?

 

[kendalwpg]

Leave them in the field for another 2 weeks and hope it gets drier?

Problem is they are starting to sprout.....not sure how much they are worth now!!

 

[RM-MN]

My oats were starting to grow through the swaths when I finally got weather dry enough to push them through the combine and I had sprouting. When I put them in the bin the elevator was paying $2 a bushel and didn't want to even look at mine, said that they don't buy sprouted oats. In April I still had them and asked a neighbor how I should get rid of them and he said that the elevator was short on feed oats and I should talk to them. No hassle, they wanted them and paid me $3 a bushel.

Your situation may be different and you may not have the same conclusion but it is something to consider. If you can bin them and get them dry, do you have a cattle operation nearby that would buy them if the elevator won't?

 

[kendalwpg]

Ya time will tell as far as selling them. I have cattle of my own but 30k bushels is alot....there will always be cattle guys around to buy if the price is right!

 

[Haystack]

Putting a low temperature heater on that bin may be a solution.

I just got these two that haven't been used for five years fixed up and running today. On that size of bin, 1000 gallons of propane more or less will make your problem go away. This is drying wheat that's about as damp as your oats. The plenum runs about room temperature on a day like today 11c.


.

 

[miniskfarm]

^^ Propane construction heater in front of the fan works also if you need some heat, less efficient that that but they still work.

 

[kendalwpg]

We ended up harvesting 3/4 of the oats at around 14% so the air is on and we will take a load or two out and put back in the top. On the dryer oats the elevator graded at a #3 and said the were the best ones that they had seen this year!