Low Cost Way To Dry Store Grain

Low cost way to dry store grain CROP STORAGE Grain Storage 11-5-21 Latest new way to dry and store grain in Great Britain is a do-it-yourself "Granary Floor Sytem" made of concrete with built-in air passage tunnels. "It's the most cost-effective system on the market for drying stored grain," says Peter Turner, marketing director for Grain Floor Technology, manufacturer-marketer of forms and other supplies which farmers can rent for do-it-yourself construction. Key to its "unmatched efficiency" in moving air are circular (6 in. dia.) tunnels running lengthwise in a "pour it yourself" concrete floor about 10 in. thick, and slot openings which run crosswise and are covered with expanded metal strips. "With normal 12 in. spacing between slots, only 6% of the floor surface is ventilated. Because of the efficiency of the built-in tunnels to move air, that's usually all that's needed," says Turner. The floor is laid in bays 4 ft. wide and up to 45 ft. long. If laid over existing concrete, 6 in. dia. tunnel-forming rubber tubes (inflatable sausages) lay directly on it. Depth of the floor is generally 8 in. when laid over exisiting concrete, and 10 in. when laid on bedrock. For do-it-yourself construction, farmers rent "inflatible sausages" and other forms required to pour a 4 ft. wide bay. They then use the rented equipment to pour a bay a day until the job is finished. British farmers are installing the new-style grain drying floor in new and existing livestock and machine sheds, and in granaries of all sizes and shapes. In machine sheds, for example, the drying floor is strong enough so tractors and other heavy equipment can be driven over it when the structure isn't being used for grain storage. When used in combination livestock-grain storage buildings, the slot openings can be covered with straw, allowing manure solids to build up on the floor while liquid manure flows through the openings and into the built-in tunnels. To convert back to grain, you simply remove the manure and straw, and replace the metal strips covering the slot openings. Dealer-distributor inquiries welcome. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Grain Floor Technology, Kingsthorn Mill, Greens Norton, Nr. Towcester, Northants, England NN12 8BS (ph 0327 51949).

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