Have You Been Checking Your Corn Bins?

Hopefully you have been checking your corn bins every couple weeks this winter? Because of last falls harvest conditions we are set up for some nasty surprises this winter and spring! Most of the corn was much wetter and had a lighter test weight than normal. That means more broken kernels and fines in the center of the bins.

Hopefully after you finished filling the bin you pulled some corn back out of the bin which removes a lot of the fines and allows for better aeration when you are running the fans. As we move toward spring and warmer temperatures moisture in the corn can migrate to the top center or along the bin walls. Warm temperatures and wet corn in a bin and you will have moldy corn quickly!

I have heard of a lot of crusts forming on the top of the grain mass and moldy corn. When you begin unloading the corn the clumps of moldy corn can bridge up over the auger in the bottom of the bin. In other cases the crust will remain on the top and you can have a cavity under the crust. If you go into the bin you can break through and you will be buried in the corn. Be careful!