Fruity Smell in Grain Shed

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
In the year that just keeps on giving I can smell something like fruit in the grain shed where I store the wet grain ready for drying. It’s not much over 17% at the most and I have been all over it with the spear but can’t find a hot spot or a hard area. The drier has broken down of course and I’m working all weekend to try to get it working and a lorry is arriving next week to get the dry stuff off the front of the “wet” heap. There was some sprouting of the wheat but nothing major.
I don’t like it at all.
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
Can’t pin it down to a particular spot. Speared and sampled all over it. Doesn’t seem hot or have the fruity smell in the sampling bucket but no doubt it’s in there somewhere. Loading some dry out on Monday so should have room to move the rest and should have drier running again to put some through it into dry store. All I can do.
 

B'o'B

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Rutland
Can’t pin it down to a particular spot. Speared and sampled all over it. Doesn’t seem hot or have the fruity smell in the sampling bucket but no doubt it’s in there somewhere. Loading some dry out on Monday so should have room to move the rest and should have drier running again to put some through it into dry store. All I can do.
You can only do what you can do. Sounds like you’re not going to let it fester any longer than the absolute minimum. I’m sure it will come right for you with prompt action.
 

robbie

Member
BASIS
Get it put through the dryer as and when. A few years ago we found a load right in the middle of our barley that had been tipped in the heap by accident rather than going separately. It was a shear wall of black steaming corn that you couldnt walk on because of the heat. We chipped it out with the bucket and it looked like a silage face but we put it through the opico and it freshened it up and brought it back to life and it went in the bottom of a couple of loads with no problems.
 

Rookie

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincs / Notts
Was there much green in the crop such as fat hen, bind weed or green grains when you harvested it.? Could be that what is smelling and once through the drier should sort it.
Or did you round up off before combining.?
 

DrWazzock

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lincolnshire
After more searching on all fours with my hands in the heap I found the hot spot in the spring barley heap fortunately not far from the front. I have loaded about 18 tons out and spread it in my dry store as best I can. The rest of the “wet” heap seems cool enough. It was the last spring barley we combined and it hadn’t been round upped. It was fairly flat but maybe not all dead. Can’t remember the moisture being over 18%. It’s very hot and damp. Probably green grain trouble. What a year.
 

richard hammond

Member
BASIS
After more searching on all fours with my hands in the heap I found the hot spot in the spring barley heap fortunately not far from the front. I have loaded about 18 tons out and spread it in my dry store as best I can. The rest of the “wet” heap seems cool enough. It was the last spring barley we combined and it hadn’t been round upped. It was fairly flat but maybe not all dead. Can’t remember the moisture being over 18%. It’s very hot and damp. Probably green grain trouble. What a year.
This year just keeps giving!!
 

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