Mid Valley Grain is wasting no time in replacing a grain dryer that caught fire Monday.

"Rebuilding has already started," said Steve Filipi, grain merchandiser at the elevator, which is located in Crookston, Minnesota, about 30 miles southeast of Grand Forks, N.D.

He has a crew there now tearing the old one down, and he expects the new one to be up and working by November 15.

Filipi said the fire was probably the result of a combination of a mechanical problem and a buildup of soybean pods. With everyone pushing to get this very wet crop dried down, Filipi said the pods could have built up, blocking the chambers.

As in so many areas, both soybeans and corn are very wet. "Corn samples in the area are running from 32 to 36 percent moisture. Farmers won't spend the money to dry that down," Filipi said. He expects some corn to be left in the fields over the winter.

And he's even more concerned about soybeans, because the fields are so wet, it probably won't be possible to get into some of them until it freezes. And then they'll just have to hope it doesn't snow.

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