Above-normal temperatures have made this a chal-lenging summer for storing grain. If you are thinking of holding grain that you stored through summer for a second year, it would be a good idea to check grain condition before making your decision.
Walk on the grain surface and look for signs of mold, insects, and crusting, and check for musty or sour odors. Probe down into the grain to measure tempera-ture and to pull up samples for inspection and mois-ture measurement.
If you find any problems with mold, insects, or heat-ing, run aeration fans during the coolest weather available to cool the grain to less than 600F. Trans-ferring grain from one bin to another can sometimes help mix grain and break up problem spots. If the grain contains a lot of fines, running it through a grain cleaner while youUre moving it would be a good idea. If the grain is too wet for long-term storage (corn and small grains should be 13% or less, soy-beans 11% or less for long term storage), run it through a dryer. Grain that has developed serious qual-ity problems is not a good candidate for long-term storage and should be fed or sold.
Grain that is of adequate quality for a second year of storage should be aerated several times this fall. Cool the grain to about 400F in mid fall, and to about 250F in late fall. Then continue to monitor grain condition every two to four weeks until the grain is fed or sold.