How To: Natural Air-Drying of Grain

Begin loading the corn into the bin. Start the fan system as soon as the first load of corn is loaded.

Distribute the grain evenly in the bin, on top of the perforated floor. Some storage bins have a spreader. Corn should not be coned up in the center, as it impedes even drying. The best type of bin is a wide diameter bin, 18 to 22 feet wide. Use the spreader if the bin is equipped with one.

Continue loading the corn until the bin is full; remember to begin running the fan as soon as the first load of corn is in the bin.

Check the corn once per week during the drying. Use the grain probe to select a sample of grain from within the bin. Check the moisture content of the grain pulled out with the moisture meter. The manometer can be used to measure the static pressure of the grain in the bin but this is optional. The primary importance is the moisture content.

Use a rod to find what is called the drying front. Push a cylindrical rod down into the grain. It will push hard through the wet grain and when it hits the grain at the lower levels that has already dried, it will move easily. With this you can measure the drying front, or the section of corn that is above what has already dried and below the still-wet grain. This can give you some idea how much drying time is left for the bin.

Keep running the fan until the temperature changes, or until the grain in the bin has completely dried to the moisture content correct for storage without threat of mold or rot. Natural air-drying should take place with temperatures between 40 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. If the temperatures fall below 40 F, stop the drying process until warmer weather, or, if it is due to seasonal change and winter has arrived, until spring and the temperatures rise again.