Canola producers encouraged to check for bin heating

Canola growers are encouraged to check their bins for heated seed during this cold weather.

Breanna Miller Friesen is an agronomy specialist with the Canola Council of Canada. She says it is during cold spells, like what the Prairies have been experiencing when issues of bin heating start to pop up.

Miller Friesen explains that bin heating can happen when you have cold air outside the bin. As a result, some of the colder grain up against the bin then starts to cool off. Then, when you have pockets of warmer canola on the inside of your bin, the mixture of the two causes condensation in the high moisture zone cone at the top of the bin. Miller Friesen says this also leads to heating issues. 

For producers with canola seed in their bins this time of year, Miller Friesen says she definitely recommends they take samples. If producers are concerned that their canola is heating, or even if they just want to make sure that it is not, Miller Friesen encourages running the fans. 

"Definitely take advantage of this cold air, run the fans," she stresses. "Just try and get some airflow to cool that entire bin, so you don't have those different hot versus cold areas."

For producers without fans, she encourages removing a load or two of canola from the bin. 

"Either working it back onto itself or moving it into an open bin if you happen to have," she says. "Just getting some movement so that it's not hot versus cold inside the bin."

Miller Friesen says they usually recommend transferring about one-third of the bin. But again, for those with fans, she says running those for a few days in this cold weather is certainly a lot easier. 

"But if you don't have fans, rotating about a third of the bin either out or back onto itself is usually a good measure," she says. 

According to Miller Friesen, the best way to know if your canola is overheating is to take a sample from the top cone. She says seed that is overheating will start to turn a brownish colour. It can also have a hot burning smell to it. 

"The main thing is kind of the look and feel and if we are seeing some crusting taking place at the top," she says.