Bagging a Big Crop

Some Turn to Grain Bags In Face of Record Crops

Emily Unglesbee
By  Emily Unglesbee , DTN Staff Reporter
Connect with Emily:
Grain storage bags could help ease the pressure of a bumper crop for some farmers this year, as long as they are used properly. (DTN photo by Dan Davidson)

ST. LOUIS (DTN) -- Pete Pistorius saw the beginnings of a bumper crop budding in his cornfields in central Illinois as early as June and July.

In preparation, he bought enough white, polyethylene bags to store 450,000 bushels worth of grain and the equipment to load and unload them on the corn and soybean operation he runs with his father and brother-in-law near Blue Mound, Ill.

Now, as he slogs toward the halfway mark of his harvest in mid-October, the investment appears to have been a wise one.

According to an early September estimate by USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, grain production and stocks this fall are expected to exceed storage capacity by up to 694 million bushels, or 3.5% of the anticipated harvest. USDA has since increased its production forecasts.

"We really felt commercial storage would fill up really fast, and it has," Pistorius told DTN. "Production is so much more this year, and prices are low. The market is telling us to store it for a longer period of time, until we get through this glut of corn."

Pistorius already has 65,000 bushels of corn in his grain bags, also known as "silo bags" or "ag bags." Once his fields dry out this week, he expects to start filling them up even faster.

"Ag bags were important to keep us going in the field," he said. "We're able to keep our combines running even with long elevator lines and some of these elevators filling up faster than they can get hauled out to a processor."

A record corn crop, rail transportation delays, and low commodity prices have aligned to ensure that many Midwestern farmers will turn to alternative storage options like grain bags this fall, Purdue University agricultural and biological engineering professor Klein Ileleji told DTN.

However, getting your money's worth from grain storage bags, or any alternative storage option, requires careful attention to details, Ileleji stressed.

COST CALCULATIONS

Grain storage bags range in size by manufacturer, but Ileleji said most can hold between 8,000 and 12,000 bushels. Pistorius' bags can each hold up to 15,000 bushels.

P[L1] D[0x0] M[300x250] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]

Prices usually fall between $600 and $900 per bag, with an overall average cost of $0.07 a bushel, Ileleji estimated.

"The cost was far less than commercial storage and much less than building another bin that you might not need in future years," Pistorius noted.

However, to use them properly, growers also need loading and unloading equipment that can cost tens of thousands of dollars, Ileleji said. Pistorius owns the necessary equipment, but farmers who are less certain of a future with grain bags should opt to rent, Ileleji added. Farmers may also consider hiring a custom business to bag the grain.

KNOW THE BAG'S LIMITS

Dry grain is important for all forms of storage, but it is especially critical in grain storage bags, Ileleji pointed out.

The bags cannot be aerated, so the grain leaves the bag at the same moisture it entered, Pistorius said. His corn is coming out of his fields at 18% moisture now, but he dries the bag-bound grain down to 15% before packing it away.

Because the bags are relatively narrow -- they resemble long, plump, white caterpillars when full -- the temperature of the grain generally rises and falls with outside temperatures. As a result, Ileleji and most manufacturers do not recommend storing grain in bags beyond March. In addition to the seasonal warm-up, the springtime freezing and thawing of precipitation on top of the bags can also lead to water seepage and spoilage, he pointed out.

Pistorius hopes to find a home for his bagged grain by December. "I would just like to get past this post-harvest glut," he explained.

Given the halting and often unpredictable nature of harvest, filling the bags gradually might be tempting and unavoidable at times. However, Ileleji said the practice can allow oxygen to repeatedly enter the bag and endanger the airtight seal that is necessary for protecting the grain from mold, insects, and spoilage. Filling one bag all at once is safer, he concluded.

PICK THE RIGHT SPOT

Ileleji recommended positioning the bags in clean, dry, well-draining and open areas, far from tree and fence lines where animals and rodents often make their home.

For location, Pistorius' operation opted for long-term safety over harvesting convenience. Instead of dropping a bag in each field for harvest spillovers, they opted to put the bags at central locations. For example, he plans to store 15 to 20 of his 30 bags at his homeplace, within easy access to his bins and dryers. "We'll also be able to monitor the bags a lot more easily if they're in central locations," he said.

In addition to watching for damage to the bags, consider sampling the moisture and quality of the grain through holes in the bag throughout its storage life, Ileleji said. The holes can be quickly re-sealed with adhesive tape supplied by most bag manufacturers.

OTHER STORAGE OPTIONS

Common alternative storage options beyond grain bags include storing your corn in existing farm structures such as barns, machinery sheds, or empty livestock buildings. Some farmers also resort to outdoor piles, often covered with tarps.

Both options have their risks and management requirements. Purdue agricultural engineer Dirk Maier and University of Minnesota agricultural engineer William Wilcke have compiled a comprehensive list of important considerations for farmers using them: http://goo.gl/….

Ileleji's article on grain storage bag recommendations can be found at this Purdue website: http://goo.gl/….

Emily Unglesbee can be reached at emily.unglesbee@dtn.com

Follow Emily Unglesbee on Twitter @Emily_Unglesbee

(PS/KM/CZ)

P[] D[728x170] M[320x75] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
P[L2] D[728x90] M[320x50] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
P[R1] D[300x250] M[300x250] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
P[R2] D[300x250] M[320x50] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]
DIM[1x3] LBL[article-box] SEL[] IDX[] TMPL[standalone] T[]
P[R3] D[300x250] M[0x0] OOP[F] ADUNIT[] T[]

Emily Unglesbee