How do I dry and store hemp grain?
Dry hemp grain to 8 percent within 3 to 4 hours of harvest, then store it in a regular bin. HFGA's warning is spoilage. The buyer can ask for drier.
How do I dry and store hemp grain?
Get it to a dryer within 3 to 4 hours of harvest and down to 8 percent moisture so it does not spoil. HFGA says it can then sit in a regular bin. That is their general recommendation, from the same notes as the soybean-header harvest. A buyer can require it drier, cleaner, or sooner. rechem does not publish a different moisture target.
Related reading
Related reading
When do I harvest hemp grain?Harvest hemp grain with a soybean or wheat header when the seed is ready, then get it to a dryer within 3 to 4 hours. HFGA's clock is spoilage, not a date.
The handling system is the one you already know, used faster. HFGA says hemp grain is sensitive: dryer within 3 to 4 hours, 8 percent moisture, then a traditional bin. Spoilage is the failure they are preventing. A new crop does not mean a new kind of bin.
When to cut is When do I harvest hemp grain?. What a dirty sample costs is What will a hemp grain buyer dock for?.
Two moistures, two crops
Fiber straw dries in the field. Grain does not. How is hemp fiber different from hemp grain? keeps those numbers apart on purpose. Putting stalk practice onto seed, or seed practice onto bales, is how a lot misses both buyers.
HFGA's note for new farmers says buyers often specify drying and cleaning before you plant. Heartland is the offtake that can take the seed. Get their moisture in writing.
After it is dry
A bin holds grain that is already dry and already clean enough. Weed seed that went in with the load is still in the bin. The stand that kept that weed seed out is How do I control weeds in hemp grain?. The planting pass that started the stand is What planting chemistry does hemp grain need?.
FAQ
Quick answers about this part of the approach.
Can the grain wait in the truck?
HFGA treats the grain as sensitive. The 3 to 4 hour window is there because delay is how it spoils, not because the bin is complicated.
Do I need a special bin?
No. Once it is down to 8 percent, HFGA says a traditional bin is enough. Do not put wet grain in that bin and hope.
Is 8 percent the buyer's number?
It is HFGA's general number. Ask the buyer before harvest. Food grain can be tighter than a feed or a crush spec.
Does field drying of the stalks count?
No. Stalks dry in the field under 15 percent and then get baled. Grain is a dryer job. They are two moistures and two crops.
What else fails a stored lot?
Weed seed, debris, and a late delivery. Those are dockage. Dry grain that is dirty is still a problem.