Why You Should Invest in a Grain Moisture Tester

Every farmer wants rain on their crops. After all, the moisture means a healthy, green crop at the right time, fat heads of wheat, and full ears of corn not to mention soybeans that are busting out of their shells.

But too much moisture at the wrong time also means wet grain. And wet grain translates to bad grain. You cannot sell grain with high moisture content, and if you do try to sell it, the local elevator will penalize you with lower prices.

A small, simple tool like a grain moisture tester will help you know if your grain is ready for the elevator. You can harvest a sample, test the moisture, and know immediately whether or not you should finish up the field or wait for the grain to dry a little longer.

Keep reading to learn about the massive benefits of owning a grain moisture tester.

Why Not Use a Grain Dryer?

Grain dryers have revolutionized harvest plans. In the past, farmers waited until their grain was dry on the stalk. They ran the risk of losing their crop to wind or snow by waiting longer to harvest the grain.

Today many farmers have grain dryers. This tool is a large apparatus that pushes air up through grain while a sweep auger moves the grain around and takes it to another bin. Extremely hot air in the dryer dries the grain to the desired moisture so farmers can take the grain directly to the elevator or store it in their bins with the confidence the grain won't spoil.

But grain dryers have their limits too.

Take wheat for example. You may confidently store your wheat for the long term if it is around 13 percent moisture. But some farmers will harvest the wheat at moisture levels that reach beyond 20 percent.

Unfortunately, grain dryers can only handle wheat that has up to 18 percent moisture. Any higher moisture leads to spoiled wheat before the dryer can adequately pull out the moisture. Also, grain dryers are expensive.

Many grain dryers run off a combination of propane and electricity. They're not energy efficient, and the cost of propane alone will cut into a farmer's profits.

So what's a farmer to do? They can utilize a grain moisture tester to make sure the grain is at optimal moisture before they take all of it from the field. Certainly, the farmer can still use a dryer, but knowing the moisture of the grain from the start will help the farmer use the dryer more efficiently.

Why Use a Grain Moisture Tester?

A grain moisture tester will make your farming operation more efficient and streamlined. It allows you to make more informed decisions and use your time and resources more wisely. Here are the major perks of using a grain moisture tester. 

Dickey-John Handheld Bluetooth Moisture Tester

Proves Your Grain Weight

A scale seems to measure the weight of your grain. However, there's no way to tell if the weight on the scale is all-grain or part moisture. Wet grain will weigh more since the grain has moisture trapped in it.

As your grain dries out, it will weigh less. Thus, a moisture tester will let your buyer know from the start how much moisture your grain has. They can then factor in the moisture weight when they offer you a purchase price.

Makes Your Operation Efficient

What is agriculture efficiency? It works no different than any kind of business efficiency, where you maximize your dollar as well as your time for the maximum output.

So in the case of farming, you produce the best product using the least amount of money and time to do so. If you can figure out a way to do this, you're an efficient farmer.

A moisture grain tester will make your operation more efficient. Old-school methods of moisture testing required the farmer to weigh the grain, dry it in an oven, weigh it again, and repeat these steps until the weight did not change.

Then the technician would figure a formula that figured out the moisture percentage. In the end, you ended up with an accurate read but had to wait a long time for these results.

A moisture meter works quickly. You receive your read in minutes and can make an informed decision about your grain.

Less Waste

The old-school oven-dry test requires both time and a large sample of grain. You end up burning through a great quantity of grain to receive an accurate test.

New grain moisture testers, though, are efficient in that they do not require a large sample. Often you can just stick an electrode in the grain and see the moisture instantly.

Resourceful

The newest grain testers have more versatility to them. You do not just measure grain with them. Rather, you can use the probe in hay as well as cotton.

Thus, if you drop a thousand dollars on a grain tester, you can rest assured knowing you can use it for more than one type of crop, making it a good investment.

A Commercial Agriculture Must Have

If you're working in the commercial agriculture field, consider purchasing a grain moisture tester. This simple, easy-to-use tool will instantly read your moisture. You'll save time and ultimately money because you'll have the information you need to make a wise decision.

A grain tester also costs much less than typical farm equipment. You can actually see unnecessary wear and tear on your equipment by knowing your grain moisture ahead of time. Then you won't be sending harvesters into a field and running the risk of pulling out the wet grain that will earn you less money with a seller.

Are you looking for a grain moisture tester or any other agricultural equipment? We have a variety of agricultural equipment that will help you do your job well. Contact us today and check out our inventory.