Grainnet

Sparta, WI – Once we get into March, we begin to experience warmer weather and with that comes concerns related to the 2009 corn that came in from the fields with low quality and high moisture.

Some of the important properties this corn has shown that are at the basis of this concern are:

• Large amount of fines in grain bins.

The high grain moisture content during corn harvest made the crop difficult to thresh and resulted in higher levels of broken kernels and fines in threshed grain, especially compared to what has been experienced in the past several years.

Because of the increased amount of fines, some grain handling systems – even those that incorporate equipment such as screens to help remove the fines – may not have been able to keep up with the large amounts of fines that were going into the bins with the grain.

• Some corn went into “dry” storage around 20% moisture, some much greater.

Hopefully by now, that grain had been fed or moved out, but that may not be the case, and it is now time to deal with it.

• Test weights were low averaging about 52 pounds per bushel, with little increase after drying.

Light corn spoils faster and breaks more in handling.

• Storage life is an issue – about half of normal corn with the same moisture and temperature.

Molds and toxins were commonly found across the state in the corn last fall.

Toxins will not go away in storage but usually do not increase, if the grain or silage is properly stored and stabilized.

Managing Last Year’s Grain in Storage

Stored grain should be uniformly cool at 35 degrees or below.

The active period for grain spoilage will begin in March, as air temperatures rise.

You should be checking corn weekly from now on, because 2009 corn has much shorter storage time (shelf life) than normal.

Record the temperatures on every inspection, more often if you have an electronic system that monitors continuously.

Changes (increases) in the temperature over time, when there has been no fan activity, are an indication of spoilage starting.

Grain is a good insulator, which means that a slow rise in a temperature monitor could mean a much greater problem some distance from the sensor.

Once corn has started to spoil, problems will return even after aeration cooling; the shelf life has been used, and this corn will create problems, until it is moved out.

Corn can be kept cold, even frozen, farther into spring as long as:

1. The corn is clean.

2. It has had the center core removed to take out fines and trash.

3. The bin has additional fans in the peak to bring in fresh air to control condensation dripping.

Things to do or check now, before problems show up:

• Know the moisture, test weight, and temperature in every bin.

These are the key parameters that determine future condition.

• If you have corn at 20% or higher moisture, move or dry it immediately.

• Market by test weight – lightest corn first.

• In March, remove some corn from each bin, if possible.

Check.

Re-level.

• If there is an increase in temperature, act immediately.

• Corn for feed should be tested for toxins (vomitoxin) and protein.

• Test for toxins by drawing at least a 5-pound sample; grind the whole sample for the test.

Composites of several individual loads or undivided bin samples are best.

If you have to go into the grain bin to deal with problems, please follow safety precautions, as we have had far too many injuries, near misses, and deaths from grain bins this year already.

Considerations for Ensiled Corn Feedstuffs

Ensiled feeds are not without the potential for problems this spring.

Over the winter, the cold weather has been an ally for helping keep these feeds stabilized and preventing further mold growth and potential increases in toxins.

However, as the weather warms up, it will be important to pay close attention to face management of bunker silos and feed out rates of bunkers, bags, and upright silos, in order to feed out enough material to keep the face from heating too much which increases the risk of additional molds and toxins.

Because of the nature of the feed that was put up, feeding rates that were fast enough in the past may not be fast enough with the 2009 crop feeds.

Paying attention to grain and feeds in storage is critical to minimizing additional losses from the 2009 corn crop.

See Related Websites/Articles:

• University of Wisconsin Extension Service

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