Corn storage

I have some corn standing still that I would like to get harvested. The local elevators are full and not accepting corn right now and are unsure when they will accept corn again. I'm wondering what to do now. I do have 3 grain bins that I have never used, 1 has an air floor, the other 2 do not. The corn is about 17-18% moisture. I understand that I can fill the bin with the floor and run the fan, my question here is, will running the fan dry the grain at all? we are currently having 60 degree highs, and lows in the low 40's here in Central MN. This bin holds 2200 bushel.

Also, I have 2 bins without air floors, each hold 1500 bushel. They do have a cement floor that has an additional couple inches of cement in them to help keep the grain from getting wet. If I put 18% corn in there, will it keep until spring? how about longer than spring? Also, I've heard of screw in fans, do these help? are they affordable? should I look into one of these?

Any other ideas to help keep the grain in shape while being store in a bin without an air floor? I'm a bit intimidated and worried about grain loss by using these bins, but I gotta do something if I wanna get the crop off. Any help or ideas would be appreciated. Thanks

Not going to pretend to be a corn storage expert. Only grown it in quantity three years and I bank most of it at the elevator because I don't want bins and a dryer...or the risk. I have a screw in fan I bought at an auction. Around here they go for about $100 used. They are around $500 new I think. Not sure if they do much good. Last year I left about 12" of corn in the bottom of the grain truck with a wood floor. Kept it inside, open top. Turned it with a scoop every week to ten days. Was 16% going in. Kept well until Spring, but winter was cold. When temps rose it got some surface mold but I started turning it more often and it stayed good enough to use all summer. Given your inexperience and the difficulties of drying with a fan only and based on a lot of research and questions I asked on forums I would suggest maybe leave it standing until the elevator can take it. Wildlife takes a toll but I left corn out in the field until late January last year and did well with it. Just some thoughts. The experts will tell you better. Even at today's prices, moldy corn in a bin can mean a big loss.

Those screw in fans helpmsome but are not a replacement for a real areation system. The bin with the floor air should be fine if you run the fan til the corn is well frozen except on wet days. It will dry a few points. Then run the fan a few days a month when it's cold and dry and you will be fine into maynat least. For the other bins I would wait til the xorn is frozen before you put it in. Usually 15-16% is ok in those til warm weather of its cold going in. One of these fans will help some too.

The fan bin will eventually dry the 18% corn. Might take a long time, might freeze it up this fall and finish next spring.

You don't want 18% corn in a bin once ut warms up, next spring. Bad news. You don't really want 18% corn in a bin with no fan now, with it this warm out......

Paul

The University of Minnesota has a lot of info on air drying corn and how long it will keep at different moisture levels.

Your elevator is not accepting corn for storage but they will buy it I'm sure. You can defer the payment if that would help your taxes. Otherwise have elevator dry it and bring it back home and store in your bins. Or hire a truck and haul it to an elevator that will store it.

The ability of natural air to dry depends on temperature and relative humidity, along with an adequate flow of air. This chart shows the drying potential of air in various conditions.

Do you have a neighbor with a dryer? Or look for a Little portable unit like a Farm Fans AB8B- it is a good dryer. Dries in 100 bu batches, can auto load from a wet bin, and auto unload into your bin. Some can be found on transports, with a Lowry holding bin. Easily dry a couple thousand bushels in a day. Will cost $2-3000, shop in SO MN, Dakota, they don"t want anything that small.

you just cant put wet corn in a steel bin without ventilation. The one with a floor and fan will work but keep checking the moisture steel bins get warm when sun shines dont be afraid to run fan. Mite even ned to unload and refil to get the grain mixes up avoiding hot spots.

Here in nebraska I have seen them bag it in what looks like the big white silage bags. They say without the air they can store wet corn all winter. No idea on price or who does it.

Most likely your local elevators will start accepting more corn again as their corn dryers catch up. After you fill the bin with the air floor, I think you could fill the smaller bins so long as you can empty them before the March thaws start. Emptying them in December to February would be safer. If the bin with the air floor works to dry the grain, can you cycle the wetter corn through the bin with the air floor too?

put it on semi and go where will take it and put it on paper much safer and unloading those little bins will be. btdt

I am concerned about putting 14% corn in the bin with temperatures still in mid 70s here, no way I would put in 17%.

Our coop has a quonset with a cement floor and they have air tubes with fans on it. They will only put 15 to 15.5% corn in it. I would not put any corn in those bins with no fans over 15%. To risky. Here in ne NE the weather for the last 2 weeks has been unseasonable warm so its been drying the standing corn.Good luck

You can put 18 percent corn in a bin without a fan but there are some bumps in the road so to speak. First thing the temp has to be close to 32 degrees when you harvest it and you have to watch it closely. I used to put up to 18 percent corn cold in a 3200 bushel bin with no air, to be ground for hog feed during the winter. The bin had a floor auger with a center trap bringing the corn down through the center core when I ground feed drawing cold top corn down into the core. I never had spoiled corn, but the corn was moving a little all winter long. Another problem to watch with wet corn in a bin with no ventilation is the warm sunlight shining on the south side of the bin. During the January thaw the sun will warm the corn against the south wall. The nighttime temps won't be cold enough to bring the corn temp back down and pretty soon you will have moldy corn stuck to the bin wall. I would say you might be safe waiting till the corn is in the 30's for temps for putting it in the no air bins but you should monitor it daily and get it out of there as soon as the elevator opens up again. I have a hunch the elevator will open up before you have to use the bins.

You can put 18 percent corn in a bin without a fan but there are some bumps in the road so to speak. First thing the temp has to be close to 32 degrees when you harvest it and you have to watch it closely. I used to put up to 18 percent corn cold in a 3200 bushel bin with no air, to be ground for hog feed during the winter. The bin had a floor auger with a center trap bringing the corn down through the center core when I ground feed drawing cold top corn down into the core. I never had spoiled corn, but the corn was moving a little all winter long. Another problem to watch with wet corn in a bin with no ventilation is the warm sunlight shining on the south side of the bin. During the January thaw the sun will warm the corn against the south wall. The nighttime temps won't be cold enough to bring the corn temp back down and pretty soon you will have moldy corn stuck to the bin wall. I would say you might be safe waiting till the corn is in the 30's for temps for putting it in the no air bins but you should monitor it daily and get it out of there as soon as the elevator opens up again. I have a hunch the elevator will open up before you have to use the bins.

(quoted from post at 08:42:31 11/05/16) Your elevator is not accepting corn for storage but they will buy it I'm sure. You can defer the payment if that would help your taxes. Otherwise have elevator dry it and bring it back home and store in your bins. Or hire a truck and haul it to an elevator that will store it.

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Nope, not taking it here within at least 25 miles of me. Not even the ethanol plant! Lots of corn still in the field too!

Rick

How much corn are you talking about?

Everyone is full here. Ethanol plant in Cambridge has 2 million bushel on the ground. Lots of bags out, 20 along the highway over by Atlanta. Frenchman valley co-op has a train load or more of wheat bagged out behind the new elevator at Culbertson.

If you could hire someone with a bagger and extractor, it would keep til spring, but buying the equipment for a little corn is expensive.

A 10 by 300 bag they advertise as holding 15,000 bushel but the best I could get working for the bto was 13,500. I think they run 25-30 cents per bushel. The 360 foot bags cost a little more per bushel and are a lot harder to work with. I can put a 300 on the bagger myself. Don't think I could a 360.

Bagged dry corn will last as long as you can keep the bag sealed.