Storeing shelled corn without regular bin

[Paul swpa]

Since there's a lot of guy's on here with more shelled corn experience than I, what would you think of making temporary storage space such as on a bank barn barn floor (second level, wood floor) to hold small amount (<1000Bu.) of shelled corn till Febuary or March (not long term). Do you think it will keep? Any ideas for someone without regular grain bin yet? I'll add that moisture of what I have shelled so far is around 18-20% tested at the elevator, and should be the wetest as it was the longest day maturity I planted (110dy vs. 95dy) all planted within three days of each other.

 

[Deere Scotty]

If You spread it out thin, & use a high velocity blower on it; then might be OK. With the kind of moisture You are talking about, if You pile it up it will almost certainly spoil. If You cant dry it, leave it in the field until later in the year when the moisture comes down; then shell it.

 

[sd pete]

If it was mine i would dump it at the elevator. It is too risky to try and keep it with out a bin and aeration.

 

[Anonymous-0]

get some slotted drain sewer lines , space it at least 8 ft apart ,, plumb into a fan and move air thru there ,, corn 15 % will eventually get into trouble with wide temp swings ,, i like to pull out 10 % out of a round bin every 30 days ,, that way i have a handle on what is ouing on in there ,, furthermore , All thegrain moves enuf to interrupt caking ,,.

 

[Bob Bancroft]

The raised wooden floor of a barn is beneficial for storing grain because it is generally a dry place and breathes so well.
I just don't know about your moisture level. I've pulled 17% corn out of storage OK, but never dared go beyond that. If it was December, and you were looking at consistantly cold weather, then maybe, but I think your moisture is just too high.

 

[Paul swpa]

SD Pete, the reason I was asking is that the elevator always tells me once it snows they won't take corn out of the field anymore, worried about mold I guess. Anyway, had 3+ inches of good wet snow Saturday and a lot of corn still in the field around here. If they quit takeing, figured I'd open fields with combine so I can get around with ear picker and put in cribs (storage I have). Alternative elevators are about 100 miles or more away, atleast ones I know about.

 

[Paul swpa]

That's what I used to do for Oats that had a good bit of green stuff in them and was thinking of the same thing for the corn. I also have a couple of those screw in aerators now.

 

[fixerupper]

Deere has the best idea. Spread it out thin, maybe 8" or so. 1000 bu shouldn't take up that much space spread out. Wet corn that's just in an open pile is very hard to control with ventilation. With a screw in fan you'll get one little area under control, and another hot spot will show up.

 

[tim(in)]

there was a story with the instructions on how to build a small scale grain dryer online. I'll have to see if i can find it.

 

[tim(in)]

maine oragainc farmers and gardeners site. miniture portable grain dryers. Let us know if it works for you if you decide to do it . good luck!

 

[Heat Houser]

20% moisture....at the following temps will keep for the following days. Guesses only, your results may vary if you live in warmer/humid climates due to bin wall condensation. This is from Purdue U.

35 deg....216 days
40........144
50........64
60........29
70........16

1000 bu of corn is roughly 1250 cubic feet.
At 1 foot deep, you would need a square 35 X 35.
At 8 inches deep, roughly 45 X 45.

Keep an eye on it...at $6+ corn, that is $6000+ dollars you are messing with.

I would sell it and if you want your money next year, do a deferred payment.

 

[Paul swpa]

Tim[in], found out I already had that site bookmarked, was buried in a long list of interesting places. Probably was picked off an earlier post here some time ago. It is an interesting construct as I have an old feed bin we don't use any more that might work for parts.

 

[dixon boy RL]

even if you put it in the barn spread out how you getting it back out. i would not do it cause of moisture and the small amount involved.i tried it one time on around 3000 bus i kept over of old corn was feeding and yu will also probably get lots of rats and coon s##t. i would put it on truck be done with it,if elevator rejects.