Producers should make sure their corn tests at 85% dry matter or higher before considering long-term storage.
South Dakota State University Extension agricultural engineers Steve Pohl and Dick Nicolai say corn stored with moisture levels higher than 15% will mold, spoil and bridge.
Pohl, Nicolai and McCook County Extension Educator Heather Gessner discuss the costs of drying and storing corn in a new publication. SDSU Extension Extra 5056, "The Cost of Wet Corn at Harvest," is available at no cost from state county extension offices. Or find it online at http://agbiopubs.sdstate.edu/articles/ExEx5056.pdf. (This requires Adobe Acrobat Reader, download at: www.adobe.com.)
The four-page publication discusses heat drying on the farm, natural bin air drying, combination drying, and dock due to shrinkage charged by elevators. There are examples to help producers calculate their costs under different scenarios.