Canola stays hot for weeks

Canola binned hot will retain that heat for weeks and likely months, with the risk of storage losses rising with each passing day. Growers who binned hot canola in September and August will want to check that the temperature has come down to a safe storage level of below 15°C. Putting hot canola on air or turning it on a cool day is essential. Ideally, this is done soon after binning, but now may be soon enough to arrest the heating process.

Green seed, dockage and moisture also increase the storage risk. At this date, taking canola off tough or damp may be preferable to leaving it to cure longer. However, drying it will be an added cost. Aeration can remove 1 or 2 percentage points of moisture. Heated air drying will be required for moisture above 11-12%. Talk to the elevator about opportunities to deliver tough canola, and what their drying costs might be.

Storage bag reminder: Grain storage bags are considered temporary storage for canola. Even if canola goes in cool and dry, the safe recommendation is to empty those bags before spring. Bags are not ideal storage for canola that is hot or moist or both, given that conditioning is not possible.

Further reading:
Canola Encyclopedia section on aeration and drying