While we are on the subject of grain bins....

Dave H (MI)

Well-known Member
What are the options in older bins? Corn is the first thing I am growing because the tenant has not had it on the property in a few years. Just wheat and soy. I will likely grow these also in future years. I have most of the other equipment but really don't know much about drying and storing the crop. The bin I was looking at had a ventilated floor. My experience is with hay bales and I have to bale dry to keep the bales from heating and dusty mold from becoming a problem. IF I were to pick the corn a little on the moist side, what would I need besides this bin to get it down to an acceptable moisture level? Fans, heaters, etc? I hear about dryers but not real sure how they work...dry it and bin it or dry it IN the bin? Just trying to get a feel for how the process works so I can get everything in place. Most websites only discuss feature of new equipment which is not an option. I am assuming that field drying is not always practical.
 
have you looked at just hauling directly to the elevator and figuring out the grain bins later. you typically need to have a decent amount of acres to make a drier pencil out and really the whole on farm storage thing as a whole. Now if you are using the grain, milling it yourself, etc. that is going to be a different story. Around here an elevator will store your grain for $0.03 per bushel per month until you want to sell. One plus to this is that they don't keep your grain separate. More or less your grain is just on paper, this takes a lot of risk out of the equation with corn spoiling, hauling twice, etc.
 
You do NOT want to bin 'wet' corn!Corn needs to be to 13.5% moisture to store.You need to 'field dry' it or run it through a dryer.In your humid climate I dont believe 'fanning' will be sufficent to dry.You may get by with a space heater at the air intake.Here in dry western Colorado,we dont dry anything.Its usually plenty dry at harvest(Nov/Dec).Invest in a moisture tester.Pretty cheap 'insurance'.
 
The renters on the family farm pay about $300 per month when they are running the dryers on two bins. They can play that game, they have their own semi truck, farm thousands of acres. They have volume. If I were to farm the place, I would likely just haul field to elevator and be done with it.
 
How big is this bin? Does it have stir-alls? Does it has a fan on the drying floor? We have 2000 bu bin with a drying floor and a 1 Horse power fan and have not had any problem is 20% or less.
 
cd is right on.But the elevator still wont accept it it if its too wet to store.While 13.5% is 'storable',some elevators will accept it at 15.5%.
 
You said "Pick corn" Are you shelling or did you mean pick the corn. Ear corn in wire or wooden cribs can be almost 30% moisture.
 
Elevators charge drying and shrinkage for anything above 15.5%. Plus 3 cents/month for storage. That"s why we dry and store at home. Also no danger of the elevator going belly up and not have enough bonding to cover inventory. Storing at an elevator, you"re likely to be able to sell only there. Plus there is the 10-15 cent dump charge with many. And the same if you want to take it out.
 
I cut some wheat this summer that was 19-20% and they put it in an aeration bin. As far as I know they didn't have any problems with it. That said... when they know it's going in that wet they don't fill the bin. There's enough bin space there that they can spread that over a few bins, then once it stabilizes, run it back up the leg and dump it in another bin.
From what I understand, 17% is generally the safety line for most grains on air around here. Dry storage is about 13%. This is with small grains. I don't know about corn.... I would think if you were doing any volume a drier would pay you.

Rod
 
I understand the "outbound load out charge", but I've never heard of an "inbound" dump charge. Wow, I"d be looking for a different elevator.
 
I estimate using about half my output. Would like to keep it on farm plus there is some buzz around here about going organic...lots of work but their seems to be good money in it. Anyhow, a bin like I am looking at will get me started.
 
Most of the bins that come up around here are in the 5000 bushel range. This would easily allow me to keep half my output in the best year I am likely to have anytime soon. I could expand as necessary. The bins generally have a perforated floor. I don't know enough about bins yet to tell if this is a guarantee that some type of external ventilation( a fan, that is) is available or if there are bins with floors and no ventilation. I have seen bins for sale with the ability to move the grain within the bin in order to dry it more evenly. With higher prices for grain a lot of farms locally are putting in new bin systems.
 
I would be running a combine and shelling almost all of the corn. A dozen rows or so I will run the old picker over it and leave it on the ear. I can sell these for wildlife feed by the bag. I also use it to feed our small flock of heavy geese. They take it right off the cob.
 
Drying bins are still around, and even popular with those that raise their own corn for livestock. They are a bit slower, but you don't cook the grain to death like most people do with a batch or continuous flow drier, test weight isn't cooked out of it either. Fan/drier combo, ventilated floor, and stir-rator are necessary for this. Extra vents and vent tubes help, too. We shoot for about 13% moisture for shelled corn kept for the hogs, and have never had any trouble with spoilage.

On warmer, low humidity days, you can drop moisture levels some just by running a fan.

AG
 
That about hits the nail on the head, thanks! This is what I am trying to get done without knowing all the ins and outs of how to do it. I take it off the field shelled as dry as I can possibly get it. Put what I need in a bin and send the rest a few miles away to the elevator. So a bin similar to what I am looking at now (5K bushel, drying floor) is good but it needs (if I am understanding you) an external fan/dryer unit and a stir-ator to move the grain so it drys evenly...yes?
 
Some years ago I dropped some acres for a year- didn"t need all my bins. Same year the nearest private elevator filed BK- (1.1 million) early years I stored there. My empty bins looked like pretty cheap insurance then.
 
to retro fit a bin with stir-rators or shivvers units can get spendy if you cannot locate them used. i would go for an external fan mounted on the bin. keep your eyes out for a portable dryer at auctions. they are trailer type propane dryers that run off tractor pto. that way you can dry then run the grain up in the bin, then put air on it. dont run the fan if its humid, all you will do is add moisture to the corn. i have temp probes in my bins to monitor grain temp. if the grain is wet, it can start to mold and heat up in the bin. does your bin have an unloading auger in the floor? also, see if you can get the bin sweep with the bin.
 
while I agree on the risk of the elevator going out of business or financial problems... That is not the norm and like anything, do your research. I don't know how much ground you have but I can't see how you would make it pencil on 50 acres of corn. Also, really really research the organic before you jump in. If it was that great don't you think more people would be doing it? Also your ground has to be chemical free for quite a few years before you can sell as organic, that means many years of organic farming practices with a high likelihood of reduced yields but no organic premium.
 
From what I understand you are trying to get in on the "cheap", and are willing to put in some extra labor to save costs along the way, yes? Saying that, why not pick up some used round cribs and pick it all ? Come spring it will be dry as a bone, get an old Moline or JD sheller and then run it in the bin. Lots of handling sure, but less expense. I did it this way for years, on a small scale like you are doing.
 
(quoted from post at 18:38:21 10/23/13) That about hits the nail on the head, thanks! This is what I am trying to get done without knowing all the ins and outs of how to do it. I take it off the field shelled as dry as I can possibly get it. Put what I need in a bin and send the rest a few miles away to the elevator. So a bin similar to what I am looking at now (5K bushel, drying floor) is good but it needs (if I am understanding you) an external fan/dryer unit and a stir-ator to move the grain so it drys evenly...yes?

There's about a thousand options available to you, new or used. All setups have their pros/cons. This is just one option, but it should work.

A few thoughts to ponder if you choose to go with a bin and bin dryer:

If the dryer, perforated floor, and the stir-rator are with the bin, and they work, they are assets even if you don't think you need them today. If they don't work, they're worthless and can be in the way until functional. You can still use another drying setup if they are present, you have to if they aren't.

If you end up selling some or all of it, most buyers/elevators will dock you on corn for anything above 15 or 15.5% moisture and burn you on test weights below 56 lb./bu.. Below their moisture dock level costs you money, too. Any heat/temperature to the sample will usually cost you, too. Generally, we try to run the bin dryer at 120-140 degrees, usually around 125. It's slow, but our test weights are usually 2 lbs. better than the neighbor who cooks his (I think 185 degrees and up) in a continuous flow dryer. If you don't have a reason for corn to be over 15%, get it down to that or a bit lower and get it cold for long-term storage.

You can overfill a bin with a bin dryer too quickly when corn is really wet (usually 30%+). Stir-rators can try to take a "track" through the grain and uneven drying can occur.

When you empty the bin, hand clean it down to the perforated floor with a pushbroom. Buildup of fines can interfere with drying.

Cover the loading auger when drying and temp.'s are expected to be near freezing or below. If not, your auger can and will freeze up. A simple plastic bucket and a tarp strap to hold it over the spout will do the trick.

Stir-rators (I think that's a trade name from one mfr.) can be finnicky. There's usually mercury switches that can require adjustment, and some regular maintenance--belts, track drive, screws, pulleys/rollers, motors, etc..

A spreader at the top of the bin when dumping is very helpful and almost a necessity with a bin dryer. You don't leave a pile in the middle, you sperad it out evenly(hopefully if set properly and loading auger/spout is centered as well).

Shivvers has some interesting drying accessories too.

Like other old farm equipment, know where your parts availability is, or if it exists at all before you own it. Know where you can go for service if you can't fix it yourself. Some older bins have different widths of ribs, and different heights of bin sheets, which may make a repair or door retrofit difficult if necessary.

AG
 
You will have to put the corn in around 15-17 if you put air on it and freeze it, then sell it in the spring. It will have to be drier if you are going to keep it over next summer.

I would see if you can get another farmer to combine, dry and deliver back to your bin. A drier and the subsequent augers are not cheap to buy or run.

I do not agree with the in bin driers doing a better job. I think they cook the corn at the bottom.
 
some points I can think of, don't try to retrofit an old bin for drying,some are not strong enough for stirrators, find a used drying bin, single screw stirrators aren't much good, you need a 2 or 3 screw depending on bin size they can be a pita and you need some basic mechanical and electrical skills to keep them going, the cheapest (but not the most efficient) is a batch dryer like a Grain Chief or a Tox-a-Wik, they require the least investment, if you have a bin with an air floor you can dump hot and cool in the bin saving some time, a portable automatic batch like a Farm Fans dryer is nicer than a batch dryer but more expensive, as said there is several ways to do it
 
I have never seen any difference in the corn on the bottom of a drying bin. You need to keep the heat down to around 120 and have stirrators with good screws.
 

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