Cool Stored Grain Now
In the past couple of weeks a lot of corn and soybeans went into storage with
temperatures in the 60s. With grain this warm, moisture migration within the grain mass
and spoilage can occur very quickly, even with fairly dry grain.
With average daily temperatures soon in the low to mid 40s, newly stored grain should
be cooled down as soon as possible. While stored grain should be cooled to 30-40
degrees for winter storage, the sooner we get grain temperatures down, the better. Fans
might need to be run several times during the fall to get grain down to wintertime storage
temperatures.
The time required to completely cool a bin of grain depends on fan size. In general
terms, a large drying fan will take 10-20 hours to cool a bin of grain. However, a small
aeration fan can take a week or more to completely cool a full bin. In either case, it is
best to measure the temperature of the air coming out of the grain to see if cooling is
complete. It is also much better to error on the side of running the fan too long rather
than turn it off too soon.
Now is also a good time to "core" each of your bins to remove fines that have
accumulated in the center of the bin. When coring a bin after filling, remove about half
the peak height for improved aeration. After coring, the top of the grain should be visually
inspected to ensure an inverted cone has been created. If no cone is created, bridging of
the grain has taken place and a very unsafe condition has been created. No one should
enter the bin until situation has been safely corrected.
If grain is dried down to the proper moisture and correctly cooled, it should store very
well through the winter. Even so, it is best to check stored grain at least every two
weeks during the winter and once a week in warmer weather. To do a good job
checking grain, inspect and probe the grain for crusting, damp grain, and warm spots.
Also, run the fan for just a few minutes and smell the exhaust air for any off odors. For
more details, order a copy of "Managing Dry Grain in Storage" AED-20 from Midwest
Plan Service at https://www-mwps.sws.iastate.edu/catalog/grain-handling-storage or
check out more grain drying and storage information at
https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/graindrying
