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["Don Bowen" <don.bowen AT earthlink.net>]

> > Propane to dry corn???  Seriously?  Is this a common practice?  I wonder
> > how much fuel we use to dry crops a year?  I had no clue that crops were
> > dried like that.  I guess I always thought it was just allowed to dry
> > naturally.  I guess I am showing my ignorance on the subject.

Ear corn can dry naturally in a corn crib that allows air circulation but
most corn processes use only the kernel.  Corn is now shelled in the field
with a combine and the cob and stalk nothing more than crop residue.

Trading corn as a commodity means that the mineral or nutrition quality of a
corn has no importance but moisture content is important.  Too high and the
buyer just spent too much money on water, too low and the farmer just spent
too much money on propane for drying.  Moisture content is the only test
done at the elevator and the price paid is docked according to moisture
content above a certain level.  

Don Bowen  KI6DIU
http://www.braingarage.com/Dons/Travels/journal/Journal.html