PURPOSE: To provide a dried condition strictly in accordance with a target finished moisture content by a method wherein when a drying condition is promoted and a predetermined moisture content near a target finished moisture content on a moisture meter is detected, an estimated moisture content at a finished time is calculated and when this calculated value is lower than the target finished moisture content, cereals are dried at a slower speed than a reference drying speed.

CONSTITUTION: At a central calculation controlling device 60, an advancing drying speed is calculated in response to a moisture data periodically measured by a moisture meter 62, the calculated value is compared with a reference drying speed preset and registered in response to the moisture content, a target temperature is set in such a way as a present drying speed follows a reference drying speed and then a drying operation is performed. When a moisture content detected by the moisture meter 62 is less than a predetermined moisture content automatically set near the target finished moisture content, an estimated moisture content when finished is calculated. When the estimated finished moisture content is lower than the target finished moisture content, a new finishing drying speed which is slower than the reference drying speed and stopped strictly in accordance with the target finished moisture content is set and a subsequent drying control is carried out in response to this set value.