Connie’s Comments by Connie Strunk, Turner County Extension Educator—Agronomy  October 8, 2009

            The crisp air sure makes me think about fall and the smell of harvest in the air.  Harvest has been on everyone’s minds around here lately as all this rain has stopped or in some cases really slowed down harvesting.  With harvesting comes the question, where and how to store the grain and what about drying the grain?  I am going to share with you some grain drying tidbits of information:

            Grain drying refers to the removal of some of the moisture from grain by mechanically moving air through the grain after it has been harvested.  Grain in the field dries naturally as the crop matures, giving up moisture to the air until the grain moisture is in equilibrium with the moisture in the air (equilibrium moisture content).

Natural Air/Low Temperature drying requires adequate airflow to complete the drying process within the allowable storage time.  Your fan should deliver at least one cfm (cubic foot of air per minute) per bushel when the bin is full.  As the initial moisture content increases, the minimum amount of cfm per bushel also increases.  For example corn going into the bin at 22 % moisture needs a minimum air flow rate of 1.25 cfm/bu.  At 23 % moisture the minimum air flow rate is 1.5 cfm/bu.   

The recommended long-term storage moisture content for corn is 13 %, 11 % for soybeans, and 13 % for wheat if equilibrium moisture content is at 70 °F & 60 % relative humidity.        

            Preventing grain storage problems is a must for long term storage.  Some things you can do:  Make sure your grain is dry enough before storage (grain should not be harvested more than 20-22% moisture for drying).  Control grain temperature during storage.  Manage fines (broken grain kernels and small pieces of foreign material).  Clean storage before harvest.  Consider using insecticides.  Most importantly, check stored grain regularly.

A question that is commonly asked, “Can I dry my corn with the freezing temperatures?”  Freezing does not cause drying to occur.  The goal to storing grain through the winter is to get the grain mass temperature in the 25-30 degree Fahrenheit range.  No benefit is seen from cooling the grain below 25 degrees.  It actually costs more to get the grain colder prior to winter.  The same goes for warming the grain back in the spring.  

            Aeration to simply change the grain mass temperature can be accomplished with a fan that provides a minimum of one tenth of a cfm per bushel.

            For more information you can contact me at the Turner County Extension Office at (605) 297-3112.

For your information:  Business training for ranch and farm women is set for October 20, 2009.  The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. at the Days Inn of Brookings, 2500 E. Sixth St.  The meeting includes a meal with the program starting at 6 p.m.  Sessions after the Oct. 20 meeting include ones on Nov. 3, Nov. 17, Dec. 1, and Dec. 15.  Topics for the sessions are geared towards the needs and interests of the participants in the areas of marketing, finances, and operation sustainability.  The cost is $50 per person for all five sessions.  For more information or to register for the Oct. 20 meeting, call Heather Gessner at the McCook County Extension office, (605) 425-2242.

  A dairy energy efficiency workshop is set for October 28, 2009 at the Brookings County Resource Center, located in the Swiftel Center Complex, just east of Interstate 29 in Brookings, S.D.  The workshop is free and starts at 10 a.m.  To register, call Extension Educators Jon Kieckhefer at (605) 696-8280, or Tracey Renelt at (605) 854-3851.  Topics covered include information on lighting and milk production, energy and water conservation tips, and a walk-through energy audit will take place after lunch at the SDSU Dairy Unit.

Make plans now for the I-29 Dairy Conference which will take place on January 21-22, 2010 in Sioux Falls, S.D. at the Best Westeren Ramkota Inn & Conference Center, 3200 W. Maple Street.  Registration starts at 3:30 p.m. on January 21, 2010 and costs $ 20 per person and includes materials and lunch.  Those who wish to register may also mail contact information and payment to Valerie Denison, SDSU Dairy Science Box 2104, Dairy Microbiology Building, Room 109, Brookings, SD 57007.