Soybean School

Soybean School West: Adding Moisture

Too wet isn’t good, but neither is too dry for growers looking to get the most value from soybeans.

Researchers at North Dakota State University (NDSU) have found that, on a 40 bushel per acre soybean crop, harvesting at nine percent moisture rather than 13 percent will cost the farmer around 1.8 bushels per acre. At $10 per bushel, that’s an $18 per acre difference. There is a solution.

“We’re doing the opposite of what we would do with natural air drying,” explains NDSU’s Ken Hellevang. “If the beans are exposed to air that is dry, moisture moves from the bean to the air. If it’s exposed to air that’s at a higher humidity than the beans, it goes from the air to the soybeans.”

Learn more about “reconditioning” or adding moisture back into soybeans while in storage in this Soybean School West audio episode.