The favorable weather this fall advanced crop maturity to the point that harvest is nearly complete on many farms. Corn and soybeans are the principal crops being harvested.

Farmers are now harvesting corn and soybeans for storage over winter. Listed below are some points to remember to help prepare grain for winter storage and to maintain grain quality.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Make sure there is good water drainage away from the bin. Leaks at bottom or through fan opening will cause grain damage.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Clean empty bin of all old grain and fines; clean up around outside of bin, remove spilled grain, debris, and control growth of vegetation around outside of bin. Spray inside wall, floor, and outside around base of bin, wall entry door and unloading auger. Combine or Sheller should be cleaned and sprayed at the end of the season and again at the beginning of the season. Contact your local chemical dealer for an approved product for spraying harvesting equipment, bins, and directly on grain.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Use grain cleaner or fan to take trash and fines out of new grain going into bin — squirrel case furnace fan is excellent at auger entrance (proper setting of combine can eliminate most of trash and damaged grain). Run aeration fan in bin when filling. Broken grain and fines increase cost of drying and make ideal conditions for insects, spoilage, and restriction of airflow.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Replace worn out grain augers (150,000 to 200,000 bushels). Worn augers damage grain.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Use grain spreader in bin to keep grain level (electric model for wet grain, gravity type for dry grain).

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Dry grain to a safe moisture level. Corn and oats — 13 percent for storage for nine months or more; wheat and soybeans — 11 percent to 12 percent (high protein grain has to be drier).

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] If farmer has a spiral bin, when drying is completed remove 200 or 300 bushels of grain. Run it back through the auger into the bin, but run falling grain past a fan or through a cleaner to take out fines and debris. With stiral system, fines and debris accumulate in center of bin.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Level grain in bin — do not cover up opening between bottom of roof and bin wall. If grain must be peaked in roof, draw out 100 to 150 bushels after filling or make a dimple in center of peak. This will stop chimney effect of air circulation in bin.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Cool grain down to 35 to 40 degrees for storage over winter (insects are inactive at these temperatures). In March or April, when outside air temperature reaches 40 to 60 degrees, run aeration fans to warm up grain to equal outside temperature. A thermometer, placed on top of grain if moving air up through grain or at fan exit if moving air down through grain, will show when grain temperature reaches desired level.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Watch batch dryers. Each batch could be dried to different moisture contents. High moisture, high-capacity dryers sometimes dry outer area of corn but not in the center. Moisture in center migrates out after grain is in bin. High temperature drying often causes stress cracks in corn. Corn then breaks up when being moved. Some buyers will not accept corn with stress cracks. Also, be aware that temperature adjustment must be made on moisture test. Fan on grain cleaner at exit of batch dryer is another advantage. Contact your chemical dealer for an ideal time to apply approved material to grain being transferred to storage bin.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Cover fan and unloading auger opening at bottom of bin to stop air circulation in stored grain after grain is cooled for storage.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] Airway tubes on walls are a plus when drying in bin. Airway tubes are necessary if drying bin wall panels are sealed on horizontal edges. This eliminates wet corn or walls and future moldy corn.

[naviga:font face="ZapfDingbats"]4[/naviga:font] About May 1, treat top of grain with insecticide. Vapona strips suspended above grain controls Indian Meal Moth coming in to lay eggs. It is cheaper to prevent a problem than to pay for correcting one