Posted 9/5/01 Reducing need to dry corn will save on expensive fuel Drying corn will be expensive this fall. The cost of fuel for drying has gone up, says engineer Bill Wilcke of the University of Minnesota Extension Service. ìEvery percentage point of moisture removal in a heated-air dryer that you can avoid will save about .02 gallons of liquefied petroleum gas per bushel of corn harvested,î says Wilcke. Storing corn in a silo or silage bag as whole-plant silage, high- moisture ear corn or shelled corn is one way to avoid drying. ìIf you have cattle or other ruminants you might consider changing their rations and feeding more silage or ground ear corn,î says Wilcke. ìThose who don't have the necessary equipment might be able to hire a custom harvester,î he said. ìThose without a permanent silo might be able to use silage bags or temporary bunkers.î Storing high-moisture shelled corn in a silo or silage bag where it can ferment is an option for livestock producers who can feed the corn. Wilcke says the naturally occurring bacteria that cause fermentation need high moisture levels to become active. This means corn should be harvested at 25-30 percent moisture. ìCorn often dries to less that 25 percent moisture in the field before the silo is full,î says Wilcke. ìCorn stored at less than 25 percent moisture is often too dry for bacteria to cause fermentation, but itís at an ideal moisture for the corn to mold,î he said. ìIf you plan to store high-moisture corn, start harvest early and make sure the silo is full before the corn gets too dry. Attempts to rewet shelled corn that is too dry to ensile are usually unsuccessful.î One way to avoid artificial drying is to let corn dry in the field. Wilcke says this is not a good option unless it's early in the season, you have good drying weather, and you donít have disease or insect problems that cause lodging and dropped ears. Corn that will be fed during the winter may not need drying, says Wilcke. ìIf it can be aerated in storage to keep its temperature near 30 degrees F, it can be safely stored at up to 18 percent moisture during the winter,î he points out. ìBut wet corn must be fed or dried by spring. It needs to be down to 15 percent moisture or less for storage in warm weather.î Donít dry corn to below 14-15 percent moisture unless you plan to store it for a year or more, says Wilcke. Overdrying increases fuel use and reduces dryer capacity. It also reduces the number of bushels available for sale, since it removes water that adds to the weight of the corn. And, according to Wilcke, overdried corn is far more susceptible to cracking and breaking during handling than if dried properly. ©Post Review