Cool stored grain this weekend

So far this harvest, a lot of corn and soybeans have gone into storage at temperatures in the 70s and 80s. With grain this warm, moisture migration and spoilage can occur quickly, even with fairly dry grain. With forecast highs in the 50s with lows in the 30s this weekend, grain bin fans should be running to get stored grain cooled down.

While we want stored grain cooled to 30-35 degrees for winter storage, the sooner we get grain temperatures down, the better. Every 10 degree drop in grain temperature will nearly double the allowable storage time. 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. A small aeration fan can take a week or more to completely cool a full bin.

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 biweekly during the winter and weekly in warmer weather.

Order ?Managing Dry Grain in Storage? AED-20 at www.mwpshq.org. Visit www.ag.ndsu.edu/graindrying.