• Aeration will not correct high moisture content due to incomplete or non-uniform drying.
• Moisture is the most important factor you measure. Regularly check your meter against your local USDA agency, because annual state inspections do not ensure accuracy all year.
• Blending does not remove quality problems; it just spreads them out.
• Poor quality grain is constantly more costly to handle and store than good quality grain.
• Moldy grain anywhere flows unpredictably and is a safety hazard. Monitor carbon dioxide for onset of spoilage.
• Grain breakage and dust levels go up together. Preventing breakage is one of your best safety measures.
• Whatever you buy, you store. It doesn’t get any better.
• Many aeration and storage problems can be eliminated by removing the center core of bins.
• If you emphasize quality, your employees also will.
• Quality only goes down. Control is your only real defense.
• If you do not test all your in-bound grain for quality, you cannot know what you own or what you can sell.
• Grain that has once gone out of condition will always be a high storage risk.
• Moldy grain not only causes damage, but you lose about 0.5% of weight for every 2% to 3% increase in damage.
• Good quality grain that is cored, unpeaked, cooled, and at safe storage moisture content will store well into spring and summer. Do not warm up; seal plenum fans; monitor carbon dioxide.
Prepared by Dr. Charles Hurburgh, Iowa State University, Ames; 515-294-8629