Make a clean break from dirty grain bins, specialist says

Cleaning and performing maintenance on grain bins reduces crop spoilage and damage, said Dirk Maier, Purdue Extension grain quality specialist. Proper maintenance also saves on energy costs if the bin is equipped with a drying system, he said.

"We don't know exactly how this crop will turn out in terms of quality, nor how wet it may be coming out of the field," Maier said. "The projection of a large crop and a crop that may be stored for a longer period of time indicates farmers need to be ready to carry this crop into next spring and, possibly, even into next summer."

Hoosier producers could eclipse the state's yield records for both corn and soybeans. Growers are on track to post an average corn yield of 167 bushels per acre, 1 bushel below the record set in 2004, according to the Indiana Agricultural Statistics Service (IASS). Indiana's projected average soybean yield is 50 bushels per acre, 3 bushels under the 2004 record, the IASS reported.

The large crop size, coupled with an expected rise in cash grain prices after harvest and into 2007, could lead many farmers to place their grain into storage and wait to sell.

Maier urged producers to follow best management practices for grain bin preparation and storage. He recommended cleaning and sanitizing aeration ducts, floors, augers and other places where insects could feed on dust and fine material. Weeds, trash and moldy grain in and around storage structures also should be removed.

To further control insect damage, producers can spray approved insecticides, both inside and outside grain bins, while the structures are empty, Maier said.

Growers should carefully load grain bins and take steps to preserve the grain if long-term storage is expected.

"You need to make sure that you are ready for not only the cold storage season but also the warm storage season, as well," Maier said. "That means properly filling bins without overfilling them. You also should consider coring the grain once it is in the bin and taking the high concentration of fine material out of the middle, and not letting it sit too long in a peak condition."

Purdue research shows that coring grain and leveling the peak condition can save up to 50 percent in operating costs for natural air and low-temperature in-bin dryers, Maier said.

"Another step is aeration management, which means bringing down the temperature of the grain in each of your bins in a step-wise fashion," Maier said. "If you use manual fan control in October, November or December, you can step the temperature down to the upper 40s, then the upper 30s and then the lower 30s by December and, perhaps, the upper 20s by mid-December or January."

Farmers with drying systems should clean, inspect and replace — if necessary — burners, fan housings, fan blades, belts, guards, bearings, and electrical controls and switches to ensure they in working order. Trained gas company personnel should check gas pressure regulators and LP gas vaporizers for operating pressures and leaks.

Drying systems vary in process and energy consumption, Maier said.

"The traditional dryeration process that involves taking grain out of a continuous flow dryer at around 17 or 18 percent moisture content and then transferring it into a storage bin for steeping and in-bin cooling to remove the last 1.5 to 3 points of moisture, remains the most energy efficient, capacity increasing and quality preserving drying process, bar none," he said.

"There are also a number of continuous flow drying systems out there that take advantage of what we call suction cooling, which removes 1 to 1.5 points of moisture or so during the cooling process. Those systems also save energy because you preheat the air before it goes to the burner and take advantage of the hot grain while it is still in the drying system. Then there are low-temperature bin drying systems that take advantage of various combinations of moisture removal and energy efficiency."

For additional grain bin preparation and storage advice, log onto the following Purdue Extension publications:

• "Last Minute Grain Dryer Checks," by Maier and Roger C. Brook of Michigan State University

• "Temporary Grain Storage Considerations," by Maier and William F. Wilcke of the University of Minnesota

• "Maximize Grain Quality and Profits Using SLAM: The Post-Harvest IPM Strategy," by Maier; Linda Mason, Purdue Extension entomologist; and Charles Woloshuk, Purdue Extension plant pathologist

Writer: Steve Leer, (765) 494-8415, sleer@purdue.edu

Source: Dirk Maier, (765) 494-1175, maier@purdue.edu

Ag Communications: (765) 494-2722;
Beth Forbes, forbes@purdue.edu
Agriculture News Page

Related Web sites:
Purdue Post Harvest Grain Quality and Stored Product Protection Program

Purdue Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering

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