Temporary Grain Storage Solutions

By: Dave Mowitz

If you are caught short on storage and can’t get a bin put up prior to harvest, there is another option besides taking grain to the elevator and suffering market-low prices. You can successfully hold grain outdoors for a couple of months until a new bin is ready. The key is creating a temporary holding area that minimizes quality losses. “Sufficiently dry corn (15% moisture or less) stored in piles only during cooler fall and winter weather does not usually need to be covered and aerated,” says Dirk Maier of Kansas State University. “It’s when grain is stored into the following spring and summer that tarp covers are used and provisions need to be made for aeration.”

Thus, you will want to wait to pile grain outdoors until the last of the harvest. That crop will have dried down to 15% or less in the field and will be cooler (50°F. to 60°F. is ideal). By waiting until the end of harvest, the grain won’t be exposed as long to rain while a new bin is finished.