Shawn Shouse

March 11, 2021 6:18 PM

With spring temperatures arriving in Iowa, grain producers should pay extra attention to the condition of the grain in their bins.

Cold winter temperatures keep mold and insect activity low in stored grain. Rising spring temperatures can trigger spoiling of grain that is...

Grain Handling and Storage
October 20, 2020 12:30 PM

2020 corn harvest in Iowa is likely to include increased amounts of damaged grain from the drought, derecho, or excessively dry corn at harvest. As grain bins are filled, fines and broken or damaged kernels tend to accumulate near the center of the grain pile, while whole and higher quality...

Grain Handling and Storage
October 19, 2020 12:56 PM

Unusually warm weather in Iowa the second week of October led to rapid in-field drying of crops. Many farmers now find corn at 11 to 14 percent moisture content in the field. Excessively dry corn is more brittle and susceptible to mechanical damage during harvest. Dr. Charles Hurburgh notes that...

Crop Production, Equipment and Machinery, Grain Handling and Storage
October 14, 2020 9:53 AM

Grain damage from the August 10 derecho storm and drought is widespread in the state and highly variable. The following is a list of five tips or good practices that farmers should consider this fall for good grain management, especially when working with suboptimal quality grain. At the end of...

Equipment and Machinery, Grain Handling and Storage
October 13, 2020 7:43 PM

Recent warm weather was great for drying crops in the field, but resulted in warm grain going into farm storage. Cool that stored grain as soon as possible to extend storage life. Forecast temperatures for the next several days are favorable for cooling stored grain to around 45 degrees. 

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Grain Handling and Storage
August 21, 2020 2:55 PM

The unprecedented August 10 derecho storm event has caused significant damage to Iowa corn fields. If it’s decided to proceed with harvesting the field for grain, several operational changes may increase performance and productivity of the combine.

Equipment and Machinery
August 13, 2020 11:02 AM

When steel grain bins sustain wind damage, careful inspection is needed to evaluate repair or replacement options. Inspection assistance and advice from a consulting engineer or bin manufacturer representative is the best option.

When damage is confined to the roof, sidewall sheets, or...

Grain Handling and Storage
March 11, 2020 1:04 PM

Many farmers put grain in the bin wetter than normal last fall and were somewhat rescued by the cold weather that allowed them to put cold grain into storage. In the coming weeks as spring starts to bring warmer temperatures, grain held through the winter at a high moisture content should be...

Grain Handling and Storage
January 3, 2020 11:47 AM

Many producers put grain into their storage bins last fall at higher moisture contents than normal, due to late crop maturity and less in-field drying in 2019. For grain stored wetter than recommended for storage through the winter months (above 15% for corn and 13% for soybeans), it is...

Grain Handling and Storage
October 29, 2019 3:06 PM

You may be in the thick of harvest, but don’t forget to cool stored grain. With forecast average day/night temperatures of 35 to 40 in the coming ten days, the time is right to cool any grain that went into the bin at higher temperatures. This article will review some tips and rules of thumb for...

Grain Handling and Storage
October 18, 2018 3:26 PM

The 2018 Iowa harvest is posing many challenges. Higher than average harvest losses are likely due to excessive soybean shatter, flooded and wet field conditions, and lodged corn and beans.

Harvest losses can only be managed if you know where and why they are occurring. Measuring harvest...

Crop Production
October 22, 2015 2:52 PM

By: Greg Brenneman

In the past couple of weeks a lot of corn and soybeans went into storage with temperatures in the 60s. With grain this warm, moisture migration within the grain mass and spoilage can occur very quickly, even with fairly dry grain.

With average daily temperatures...

Crop Production