Protecting the Harvest: Why Remote Grain Monitoring Matters
Remote grain monitoring protects crop quality where conventional cellular networks fail. By using direct-to-satellite IoT sensors, operators receive early alerts on temperature, humidity, and CO₂ changes to stop spoilage before it destroys commercial value.
Growing grain is only half the challenge. Once wheat, maize, soybeans, rice, barley or sorghum enters storage, its quality — and much of its commercial value — depends on what happens inside the silo.
Stored grain remains biologically and physically active. Temperature differences move air and moisture, insects generate heat, fungi develop in damp areas and condensation can form beneath the roof. Small pockets of deterioration can spread unnoticed through a much larger volume.
Early detection is therefore critical. Yet many silos are located on remote farms, at rural aggregation points or along transport routes where cellular connectivity is unreliable or absent. Satellite-connected monitoring can provide visibility where conventional networks cannot.
What should be monitored inside a grain silo?
Temperature and moisture are the foundations of grain-condition monitoring, although they describe different risks.
Temperature
Temperature is often the most useful early-warning measurement. Grain is a good insulator, so heat generated by insects, fungi or respiration can remain concentrated in a localised hotspot.
The rate of change matters as much as the absolute reading. A sensor warming relative to neighbouring points may indicate deterioration before it becomes visible during sampling or unloading.
Temperature data can reveal biological activity, stratification and aeration performance, aligning with established AHDB grain storage cooling and moisture targets to help operators decide when cooling, turning or unloading is required.
Moisture and relative humidity
Moisture content determines how safely and how long grain can be stored. Safe limits vary by commodity, temperature, intended use and storage duration.
Relative humidity is not identical to grain moisture content, but humidity and temperature together can reveal water ingress, condensation risk and changing equilibrium conditions.
Warm air can carry moisture towards a cooler surface, creating condensation beneath the roof or a damp layer near the top. Grain that was sufficiently dry when loaded can therefore develop dangerous localised wet areas.
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide provides another indication of biological activity because grain respiration, insects and fungi all produce CO₂. An abnormal rise may signal deterioration before temperature changes substantially.
It is particularly useful in sealed or hermetic storage, although readings must be interpreted alongside fumigation or controlled-atmosphere processes.
Level, ventilation and equipment status
A complete system might also monitor grain level, fan operation, hatches, water ingress, power, equipment faults and external weather. This shows not only whether a silo is warming, but also whether ventilation was working effectively.
Moulds, mycotoxins and insects
Warm, damp grain favours storage moulds, particularly Aspergillus and Penicillium. Fusarium infection often begins in the field but can remain commercially significant after harvest.
Some fungi produce mycotoxins, including aflatoxins, fumonisins, deoxynivalenol (DON), zearalenone and ochratoxin A. These contaminants are subject to strict regulatory limits under European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) guidance on mycotoxins, making contaminated grain unsuitable for food, animal feed or export markets.
Sensors do not replace sampling or laboratory analysis. Their preventive value lies in identifying abnormal trends and environmental conditions that favour fungal development before contamination becomes widespread.
Common stored-grain pests include weevils, lesser grain borers, flour beetles, grain beetles and moths. They consume and contaminate grain, reduce germination and generate additional heat and moisture.
Cooling slows insect development, while monitoring enables more targeted fumigation and can reduce reliance on repeated treatments that contribute to phosphine resistance.
The commercial cost of poor storage
Deterioration more often erodes value progressively than destroys an entire silo. It can cause:
- Lower quality grades
- Price deductions for excess moisture or damaged grain
- Rejection because of insects or mycotoxins
- Loss of malting, milling or seed status
- Reduced germination
- Additional drying, cleaning or fumigation costs
- Delayed shipments or breached contracts
- An inability to retain grain for a better selling price
A small hotspot can therefore threaten a much larger commercial asset. Monitoring converts an invisible developing problem into an actionable alert.
Why conventional connectivity is not always enough
Many monitoring systems assume access to cellular service, Wi-Fi, fixed broadband or an internet-connected gateway. That may work at a port terminal but fail at remote farms, rural railheads, strategic reserves, temporary stores and silo-bag sites. Maintaining local communications infrastructure can also be uneconomic.
Manual visits are costly and provide only a snapshot. Grain temperature, humidity, CO₂, level and equipment-status readings do not need high bandwidth. They need dependable, low-power delivery from wherever the asset is located.
Connecting remote grain storage with Lacuna Space
Lacuna Space enables low-power sensors to communicate using satellite-connected LoRaWAN®, extending monitoring beyond terrestrial coverage without requiring conventional cellular infrastructure at every site.
A system can collect readings from silos and transmit scheduled condition reports. If measurements cross agreed thresholds, or their rate of change indicates an emerging problem, it can generate an exception alert.
Operators can see:
- Which silo is warming
- Where moisture risk is increasing
- Whether an aeration fan operated
- Whether grain level is changing unexpectedly
- Which site needs inspection first
- Where action is needed before quality is lost
Lacuna Space works with sensor manufacturers, silo companies and systems integrators to connect existing or new solutions. As storage expands globally, monitoring independently of cellular coverage will become increasingly important.
The harvest does not stop requiring attention when it enters a silo. With the right sensing and connectivity, even the most remote grain store can remain visible.
To discuss satellite-connected monitoring for grain silos, grain stores or silo bags, contact Lacuna Space.
Lacuna Space is here to help you scale.
About Lacuna Space
Lacuna Space delivers direct-to-device IoT connectivity service using ultra-low-power protocols optimised for small, infrequent messages. Built on its proprietary LoneWhisper® technology, Lacuna Space’s network supports remote sensors across agriculture, environment, utilities, and the oceans — enabling reliable global coverage with no ground infrastructure.
Lacuna Space operates from offices in the UK and the Netherlands, with support from the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency.