Dry quickly, cool quickly. Mold populations can grow 6% per hour at 80 degrees in the truck or wet bin. Woodruff recommends using a high-temperature dryer and raising the temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, which significantly reduces the mold levels. Once dried, cool the grain as quickly as possible to 50 degrees or below for the best storability. Like a refrigerator, grain can be stored for much longer time periods when the temperature and moisture levels inside the bin are optimal. The table below shows the maximum amount of time corn can be stored (in days) based on grain temperature and moisture, and reinforces the importance of the cooling and drying processes.

Drop storage moisture percentage. Woodruff recommends dropping the storage moisture percentage by ½ to 1 percentage point this season, which means for many operations drying down to 14.5% or 14%. This helps to increase the length of time the grain can be stored, since lower moisture levels reduce mold growth. Do not consider trying to store grain above 14.5% moisture this year unless you are in an area where there was no drought and no mold issues.

Get corn out of the field fast. University experts are encouraging farmers to start harvesting earlier this growing season at above 25% harvest moisture, with some recommending starting as early as 30% harvest moisture. Additional drying will be needed, which means a greater investment in fuel, but this can be justified, says Woodruff. He says growers will realize that the cost of 3 to 5 bushels of corn can cover the additional fuel to dry an entire acre of grain at 25% harvest moisture. Field losses will escalate quickly as stalk quality declines leaving many more bushels in the field. By making the proper investment you can rest assured more high-quality corn can be marketed.

Plan ahead for potential challenges. Woodruff warns that if you are unable to manage the corn crop with proper drying, cooling and storage practices, be prepared to take your grain quickly or even directly to the elevator. Marketing the corn quickly will allow it to be delivered to the elevator before the quality declines and the grain could possibly be rejected due to mold. If you have more bins than crop this year, consider still using them all but reducing the grain depth. This improves the cooling and aeration rates and increases the chances of stopping a potential problem, while reducing the amount of grain lost if one bin has issues.