NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
August 26, 1999
A new North Dakota State University Web site on grain drying, handling and storage includes publications and extensive links to publications at other universities, fan selection software, an equipment buyers' guide, agencies, associations and other information.
"The Web site gives producers a comprehensive source of information on post-harvest handling of grain," says Ken Hellevang, the NDSU agricultural engineer who coordinated the development of the Web site. "Our goal was to give producers and others with access to the Internet a more efficient way of getting this information when they need it."
The Web site's address is www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/abeng/postharvest.htm . Some NDSU publications are available in html format, and the rest can be viewed and downloaded using Adobe Acrobat. Adobe Acrobat is a program, available at no charge, that can be downloaded and installed in your computer by clicking on the Adobe Acrobat button near the bottom of the site.
The NDSU publications are also available at all NDSU Extension Service county offices and can be ordered by mailing a request to Distribution Center, Box 5655, NDSU, Fargo, ND 58105-5655, or by calling (701) 231-7882, or by sending an e-mail request to dctr@ndsuext.nodak.edu .
The Midwest Plan Service publications available on the Web site were developed as a regional cooperative effort of agricultural engineers at several universities. A description of each of the publications is obtained by clicking on the publication title. The publications can be ordered from NDSU Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering by following the instructions with the publication description. Prepayment is not required; a statement is enclosed with the publication when shipped.
The site also provides links to about 100 online publications at other universities on postharvest topics. The links are grouped into the following categories: general storage, storage management, aeration, alternative storage, insects, drying, feed and forage, and handling.
Fan selection software developed by Bill Wilcke at the University of Minnesota can be downloaded and installed on your computer from the Web site. The program estimates required fan horsepower and operating static pressure for various crops, bin sizes, grain depth, and airflow rates. You can select from about 200 commercial fans listed, and the program will estimate the installed airflow using company-provided airflow delivery data. You can also enter and store data for fans not already installed in the program.
The equipment link takes you to the online buyers' guide developed by Grain Journal magazine. The directory includes an extensive listing of grain and feed equipment and services. You can search by topic or obtain an alphabetical list of topics. It includes company contacts, an extensive listing of associations and Web sites for various types of information.
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Source: Ken Hellevang (701) 231-7243
Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629