Prepared by Bob Marlow: Consultant, Grain Quality & Facility Operations

Like you, I’m enjoying this warmup, sitting here in central Indiana. Temps in the 60s and hovering near 70. It’s time to put on your shorts, and go outside, and enjoy the warm weather, right?

But, what of the grain stored at your facilities? This is an excellent time to take a closer look at your inventories, and here are a few tips and reminders on things you can do during these warm(er) weather periods while keeping grain quality and safety on the front burner. Safety and grain quality go hand in hand.

Temporary Storage

Temporary storage structures typically use aeration fans to hold arps in place, and this can be a challenging time. While I’m sure you took advantage of the colder air in past weeks (for those of you that have the luxury of cold temps) to cool the grain as best you can, but now the challenges are more about trying to avoid, if possible, running the fans, and pulling in warm, usually moist air into the structure.

Do the best you can to limit either the number of fans or total fan time during warmer weather. This depends on your reclaim plans, but in general, it is highly recommended. And remember, shrink due to excessive aeration time can be a very costly process.

Take carbon dioxide (CO2) readings on the exhausts of your pile/storage structure fans, looking for any indication of activity in the grain mass. While it is not “hot spot-specific,” it will give you indications of any biological activity, including insect activity. It is a leading indicator of activity, and as such will allow detection well before a t/c point would show that activity.

Generally, pay attention to readings of 1,000 ppm or greater. For less than $600, you can add CO2 monitoring to your grain quality toolbox. What are you waiting for?

Temperature Monitoring

Monitor your grain temperatures very closely. Suggested intervals would be weekly at a minimum. While it is important to compare cable to cable, it is more relevant to compare each t/c reading to the prior reading at the same t/c point. Keeping records for several months is highly recommended, allowing you to make comparisons over a long period of time.

Grain that is conditioned properly, in sound condition and insect-free, should not heat up. Even a slight increase of 2-3 degrees should be viewed with some level of concern, and it would be highly recommended that you increase your monitoring frequency. Grain is an excellent insulator, and simply relying on your temperature cables can lead to disaster.

I have heard of several instances of bin fires this year, and given the general poor(er) quality of the 2019 crop, the risks are elevated. And if you don’t have cables, or they don’t work, what are you waiting for? In addition, CO2 monitoring is a viable and easily-used grain quality management tool.

In the Headspace

Safely inspect the headspaces of your storage structures for condensation, possible surface damage, or possible insect infestation. With the daytime temperatures suddenly rising, it is not uncommon to get condensation in the head space of the structure.

Make sure you have the ability to vent the area properly to reduce condensation. If you have power roof ventilators, make sure they are in working condition and actually run. IF you don’t, look to install temporary ventilator fans to reduce headspace temperatures and reduce moisture buildup.

I highly recommend “get it cold, keep it cold.” The longer you keep the grain mass cool, the better chance you have to reduce and/or eliminate mold and insect activity.

With your aeration system, make sure you have your fans or aeration tube inlets at the bottom tightly sealed, once cooling has been accomplished. Warm air from the headspace wants to push the cold air out the bottom.

Leaving your bottom fans and vents open will let the cold air seep out and allow warm air to be drawn down through the top grain layers, encouraging mold and insect activity in those layers.

Whether you operate updraft or downdraft aeration systems, sealing up the bottoms to prevent air movements is a must, as well as closely monitoring the headspace for moisture accumulation as mentioned earlier.

Finally, it is widely known and accepted by many in the business that out-of-condition grain is the leading cause of entrapments and engulfments, some resulting tragically in deaths.

So while we humans enjoy the warmer temperatures, these increased temperatures can have a negative impact on the storability of the grain at your facility, can negatively impact storage life, and ultimately impact the safety of you, your employees, and your facility.

Purdue University Extension Webinar

Stored Grain Handling and Management: Addressing Pressing Issues This Spring/Summer Wed., April 22 | 9:00 a.m. CT | Click here to register