GEAPS 520: Grain Quality Management

Course dates: Jan. 9-Feb. 10, 2012
Registration deadline: Dec. 30, 2011

Registration for this course is now closed.

Program, Objectives and Syllabus

Course description: This 5-week professional development course focuses on the management and maintenance of quality grains and oilseeds, and includes lectures on quality factors of value-added grains and oilseeds; moisture content determination; grain sampling and quality standards; quality assured production of IP grains; relationship between air and grain properties; fan selection and operational management for drying, conditioning and aerating grains; grain storability, deterioration and mycotoxins; insect pest identification; pest management strategies for prevention & control; S.L.A.M. based stored grain management.

Introduction: The lectures for this course are available as narrated PowerPoint presentations that off-campus students receive on CDs and listen to on their own PCs. Student quizzes, assignments, reading materials and discussion groups are available via the VAG 540 WebCT course site.

Course Syllabus

Lecture 1 – Grain Quality Properties
Goal: To introduce students to quality factors of value added grains and oilseeds.
Topics:
  • Physical grain quality properties
  • Chemical grain quality properties
  • Effect of quality properties on biological  processes

Lecture 2 – Moisture Content
Goal: To introduce students to the importance of moisture content determination and measurement.
Topics:
  • Definition of moisture content
  • Dry basis vs. wet basis moisture content
  • Calculating moisture shrink
  • Moisture content based grain mixing
  • Determination of moisture content using direct methods
  • Determination of moisture content using indirect methods
  • Practical considerations for using moisture testers

Lecture 3 – Grain Inspection and Quality Standards
This lecture focuses on grain quality grading standards, and introduces students to grain quality factors that are vs are not part of grading standards.
Topics:
  • Grain sampling principles and equipment
  • Purpose and types of grain grading standards
  • Comparison of U.S. grading standards vs international grading standards
  • Grain quality factors that are part of the grading standard
  • Grain quality factors that are not part of the grading standard

Lecture 4 – Quality Assured Grains from Production through Delivery
Goal: To introduce students to the concept of quality management systems and the importance of a systems approach to assure the quality and purity of IP grains.
Topics:
  • Basic principle of a quality management system
  • Key elements of a HACCP-based approach to quality assurance
  • Critical control points and standard operating procedures for segregated IP grains
  • Producer risks associated with IP grain production and marketing

Lecture 5 – Relationship between air and grain properties, and airflow rates
Goal: This lecture reviews the relationship between air properties (psychrometrics) and grain properties (equilibrium moisture content) and the importance of airflow rates for drying, conditioning and aerating (cooling) grains and oilseeds.
Topics:
  • Basic air properties & psychrometric relationships
  • Grain equilibrium moisture content relationships
  • Determining safe storage moisture contents
  • Recommended airflow rates for drying, conditioning and aerating (cooling)

Lecture 6 – Fan sizing, selection, and operational strategies
Goal: To discuss the importance of proper fan sizing and selection to achieve desired operational effects.
Topics:
  • Fan types
  • Principles of fan sizing & selection
  • Operational strategies for fan operation to dry, condition and aerate (cool) grains

Lecture 7 – Storability and deterioration of grains and oilseeds
Goal: To familiarize students with the storability concept and the primary causes of grain deterioration due to molds and mycotoxins.
Topics:
  • Allowable storage time concept
  • Causes of grain deterioration
  • Primary storage molds (fungi)
  • Mycotoxins types & determination

Lecture 8 – Insect Pests of Stored Grains and Oilseeds
Goal: To introduce the different stored product insect pests and how to identify them.
Topics:
  • Internal stored product pests
  • External stored product pests
  • Secondary stored product pests

Lecture 9 – Stored Product Pest Control
Goal: To familiarize students with the primary pest control strategies including fumigation.
Topics:
  • Residual grain protectants
  • Alternative stored product protectants
  • Grain fumigants
  • Grain fumigation principles

Lecture 10 – S.L.A.M. based quality management of stored grains and oilseeds
Goal: To familiarize students with the S.L.A.M. principles of sanitation, loading, aeration and monitoring for optimum quality management of stored grains and oilseeds.
Topics:
  • The sanitation step to clean storage structures
  • The loading step of properly filling a storage structure
  • The aeration step to cooling grains
  • The monitoring step of checking stored grain regularly

Reference material for this course has been compiled under "Resources" and is available from the WebCT course site. Although there is no comprehensive textbook available for this course, there are several books we would recommend for your professional library:

• Grain Drying, Handling and Storage Handbook (MWPS-13)
• On-Farm Grain Drying and Storage, Loewer et al.
• Dry Grain Aeration System Design Handbook (MWPS-29)
• Storage of Cereal Grains and Their Products, Sauer, D.B. (editor)
• The Mechanics and Physics of Modern Grain Aeration Management, Navarro, S. and Noyes, R. (editors)