The harvest that would never end is finally down for the count. If you are done, congratulations! If you are not done, our heart goes out to you in hopes that you can finish without huge losses. The trials and tribulations of a wet crop, endless weather challenges, good yields, and poor quality grain increases the need for extreme vigilance of the condition of your stored grain.

Higher than normal moisture content at harvest has left a large percentage of stored grain with an abundance of fines, cobs, immature, and broken kernels. Drying this poor quality grain to 14 percent would help avoid storage problems.

Observe your stored grain weekly, especially during critical fall / spring periods when average air temperatures change rapidly. Check the surface of the grain for signs of crusting, wet, sticky, or frozen kernels. Inspect the underside of the roof for signs of condensation. Probe the grain surface in several places with a grain thermometer on a length of rod to detect any heating. If any of these signs appear, you must react quickly as conditions can accelerate and jeopardize the entire grain mass.

Stored grain needs to be cooled down to 35 to 40 degrees for winter storage. Aeration cycles need to be started anytime that the average 24 hour temperature is 10 to 15 degrees cooler than the temperature of the grain. The biggest mistake in aerating grain is not running the fans long enough. If the temperature of the entire grain mass is not equalized, problems will occur at the level in the bin where the temperature is unequal.

Air follows the path of least resistance. Accumulated fines will block airflow and go out of condition if not broken up or removed. If grain is peaked or not level, air will escape at the shallowest level. Unaerated grain will cause problems as temperature differentials increase with seasonal changes.

How long should you run your fans? The answer depends on the airflow rate (cfm/bushel). To tell if an aeration cycle has passed through the grain, check to see if the air temperature coming out of the grain is the same as the outside air.

If you are storing poor quality grain, don’t plan to store it past the cold winter period. All the odds are against you. Extreme vigilance and close monitoring will help protect and maintain your grain quality and avoid spoilage losses.

See chart for typical fan run times: