Much of the state's corn and soybeans last fall were combined, and sometimes stored, in less than ideal conditions. The late harvest meant much of the crop was wet and not the best quality coming out of fields. Officials said some farmers and elevators pressed for time didn't get grain totally dry before putting it in bins or piles.

Producers and grain storage experts say this is the time of year storage issues become apparent as corn and soybeans start to heat up. If crops weren't dried properly and too much cracked grain and foreign material were stored through the winter, that will promote mold and spoilage.

Experts said it doesn't take long for grain to go out of condition. Damage can lead to drastic discounts or rejected loads.

Charles Hurburgh, an Iowa State University professor of agriculture and biosystems, recommends checking bins once a week until they're empty. Grain samples should be taken, along with temperature and moisture readings.

If farmers don't, Hurburgh said, they are taking an awful big risk. July corn and soybeans Thursday morning on the Chicago Board of Trade were $3.85 and $9.66 per bushel, respectively.

In a full 100,000-bushel bin, that's a lot of money.

"If someone has a brief case with $400,000 in it at the peak of a bin, they would make sure its OK. There's a lot of money out there," Hurburgh said.

ISU's grain storage expert estimates there's more than 1 billion bushels of corn and millions of bushels of soybeans still housed on farms. Hurburgh said the active period for spoilage started last weekend when daytime temperatures exceeded 50 degrees and nighttime lows failed to fall below the freezing mark.

Reports of big losses are already filtering in, Hurburgh said. Numerous bins with spoilage have been discovered along with a 1.5-million-bushel corn pile at a elevator in north-central Iowa.

"This is the most challenging grain storage year I've seen," Hurburgh said.

Grain has a shelf life like any food product, which is primarily determined by moisture content and temperature. Tips to prevent spoiling include:

• Constant monitoring.

• Keep cold grain cold. Forty degrees or cooler.

• Core out bins and use a grain distributor if possible.

• Make sure moisture content of corn and soybeans is 15 percent and 13 percent, respectively. Dry again if needed.

• Sell corn immediately if moisture is 20 percent or higher.

Ken Pecinovsky, superintendent of the Northeast Iowa Research Farm near Nashua, said he's been fielding inquiries about storage. His best advice: vigilance.

Pecinovsky checks the 7,500 bushels of corn and 1,200 bushels of beans left in bins at the farm weekly, using a hand-held temperature probe.

"You get corn up to 50 degrees, you better start cooling it down. You've got to keep it cold," he said.

Periodically removing grain from the center to alleviate "hot spots" is also a good practice, Pecinovsky said. He hasn't heard of any problems with soybeans yet, but corn is a different story.

Due to the moisture content and quality of kernels - tips breaking off and rubbery feel, at times - ag experts said farmers should expect storage life to be cut in half. For the most part, Hurburgh said July will be pushing the limit for most farmers.

Dave Calderwood of rural Traer plans on heeding Hurburgh's warning, and selling or feeding the bulk of the 2009 crop in four months. So far, he said grain has held up well.

Two 60,000-bushel bins were built on the Calderwood farm in 2007 with automatic grain monitors. Sensors periodically take temperature and moisture readings from the middle of the grain, which would be impossible without it, and around the edges. He said the monitoring cables have saved him money.

"Last year it alerted us to a problem with spoilage. It probably saved us from a total catastrophe," Calderwood said.

Source: WCFCourier.com