Monday, October 10, 2011
Costs of Natural Drying Versus Artificial Drying Corn
Late planted corn can be found in Ohio and many other pockets around the Cornbelt, where spring rains kept planters out of the field well into the summer. Subsequently, late planted corn is also late maturing corn, and despite the summer’s abundance of growing degree days, some corn is still high in moisture. And with shorter days and cooler temperatures, the drydown rate is fading fast.
September can be counted on for providing enough heat to take 1% of moisture out of mature corn per day, but that percentage has now dropped to about ½% per day, and once the November calendar page is visible corn dry down rates are negligible says Peter Thomison, agronomist for Ohio State University. In the latest issue of the C.O.R.N. newsletter, Thomison’s advice on corn drydown expectations indicates that certain hybrids will vary from the typical pattern of grain moisture loss, “During a warm, dry fall, grain moisture loss per day ranged from 0.76-0.92%. During a cool, wet fall, grain moisture loss per day ranged from 0.32-0.35%.” He says most of the recommendations of agronomists are for corn to be harvested at 24-25% moisture because waiting for a 20% moisture level is too much risk of field loss, lodging, ear rots, and other issues that will either cause yield or quality loss.
Whether your corn is in Thomison’s state of Ohio, or elsewhere in the Cornbelt, wet soils at planting may have resulted in some compaction, that that could manifest itself at harvest with poor root growth that will exacerbate lodging issues.
The issue of letting corn dry down in the field or in the warmth of a propane heater is certainly one of cost and it is an issue that challenges many farmers. Ohio State economist Barry Ward helps with the decision making by offering a series of questions that will allow a better choice of how long to wait before harvest:
1) How much dry-down can we expect in the field?
2) What is the stalk quality and can we expect corn to stand while we wait for this dry-down to occur?
3) How much wildlife damage should we expect by letting corn “field dry”?
4) Are there fungal disease issues that are occurring and what can we expect them to do to corn quantity and quality?
5) How much will colder weather in later October and November affect drying efficiency?
6) What is the cost of propane and drying?
7) How many acres have to be harvested in our operation?
8) Is waiting for corn to “field dry” an option given normal weather (or given adverse weather if we want to err on the side of caution) in October and November?
Ward says based on Thomison’s rate of drydown, gauge how long it will take for your corn to dry to the point where it can be stored and artificially dried. He says, “With propane costs around$1.50-$2.00 per gallon (depending on quantity purchased and time of purchase) drying costs will be substantial this year with higher moisture corn to harvest. Calculating your own on-farm cost of drying is preferred but if you would prefer to estimate multiply 0.02 times your propane cost.” With that formula, Ward says a weeklong wait to allow a 3 point drydown will save about 12¢ per bushel. That is about $18 per acre on 150 bushel corn.
However, Ward says if there is a three bushel per acre yield loss by waiting that week that will offset your savings based on a $6 price for corn. He says the cost is different for every operation and it will change every day, but knowing how to evaluate the savings or the cost, will help with the decisions on when to harvest high moisture corn to prevent yield loss. Ward also says watch for grain elevator offers to cut the discount rate for drying or eliminate the shrink loss if they are wanting to fill a unit train or deliver to a processing plant that will take a high moisture corn.
Summary:
Choices are difficult in how long to wait before harvesting wet corn that is late in maturing, versus the potential for loss. Specialists recommend calculating the rate of drydown, how much yield might be lost in the field during that time, and then calculate the cost of drying it artificially. If the field loss is minimal, natural drydown is preferred if it will not take too long. However, if the drydown rate is too slow, propane costs per acre will indicate the allowable field loss.
Posted by Stu Ellis on 10/10 at 12:00 AM | Permalink
Comments
Posted by: Jeff Watson- District Manager with Intelliair at October 10, 2011 12:12PM
We have been helping farmers manage grain mass conditions in the bin for years. We are the only company that uses the data collected from the grain to close the parameters on the heater and fan control. This saves costs on both electricity and propane in the dry down process. Please send an email, I would like to discuss this a little further.