NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State
University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665
January 22, 1998
[Editors: This article was written and also released by Jerry Leslie of South Dakota State University's Agriculture Communications Department.]
A fall and winter with temperatures that have been mild up until early January have encouraged some problems in stored grain in the Dakotas.
Mild temperatures have allowed for some insect and mold activity in some of the bins where the grain has not been adequately cooled, reports Phillip Glogoza, entomologist with the North Dakota State University Extension Service.
Glogoza and Ken Hellevang, NDSU Extension Service agricultural engineer, both believe that owners of stored grain should be in their bins this winter frequently checking moisture, temperature and odor.
Hellevang, considered a regional expert on stored grain, said, "Three things—visual examination, moisture and temperature—really tell us the condition of the grain."
Glogoza said farmers should also be sampling for the presence and activity of insects and the kinds of molds that go hand in hand with insect activity.
Hellevang said ideally grain masses this time of the year should be down to a temperature between 20 and 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Stored grain temperatures "must be below freezing. So if you are sitting at temperatures warmer than that, you need to be running your aeration fans to cool that grain down to the correct temperature range," Hellevang said.
Hellevang said that some moisture meters are not very accurate at cooler temperatures, so he recommends sampling grain, putting it in a sealed plastic bag and warming it to room temperature before moisture testing.
He also encourages producers storing grain to have some kind of cover over the fan or the aeration duct if the fan is removed. "If we have it open, we get snow blowing into the grain bin," he added.
Glogoza said when farmers monitor their grain and find any of the conditions not favorable—whether the grain mass is warm or the moisture levels are above what is recommended for that particular commodity—they need to explore options for aerating to cool the grain.
Hellevang said not a lot of drying can be done this time of year because cool air does not have much capacity to carry moisture from the grain. Cooling to stop insect and mold activity is the main option.
When spring comes, grain still stored that has a known insect infestation would be a candidate for marketing or fumigation, said Glogoza. Winter fumigation this far north is usually not a good proposition, according to Glogoza, who said fumigants need warm temperatures to be effective.
Apart from running aeration fans, moving the grain from one bin to another also helps cool grain. And cleaning might be an option during that transfer period, he added.
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Sources: Ken Hellevang (701) 231-7243
Phil Glogoza (701) 231-7581
Editor: Tom Jirik (701) 231-9629