Warm weather the first half of this winter has increased the potential for problems in stored grain.
“Grain needs to be either dried or stored at a cool temperature to prevent mold growth,” says North Dakota State University Extension Service grain drying expert Ken Hellevang. “If the stored grain is dry, the warm winter temperatures will not cause storage problems. But if the grain is not dry, the warm temperatures may be a concern. The potential for insect problems also increases at warmer temperatures.”
For example, cereal grain at 18% moisture content can be stored for up to about 200 days at 40 degrees and 90 days at 50 degrees, but only about 15 days at 80 degrees. For each 10-degree increase in grain temperature, the allowable storage time is reduced by about one-half.
The allowable storage time increases at lower grain moisture contents. At 70 degrees, the allowable storage time increases from about 30 days for cereal grain at 18% moisture to 45 days at 17% moisture, 70 days at 16% moisture and 200 days at 14% moisture.
Insects are dormant below about 50 degrees, so keeping the grain temperature below 50 degrees if possible is important, Hellevang says. If the grain temperature is kept below freezing during winter storage, insects can be killed.
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