LINCOLN (Commodity Online) : Wet weather slowed down Nebraska natural corn and soybean drying in the field, forcing farmers to dry their crops in the bin.

Nebraska farmers are facing harvest in wetter than normal conditions this year. When weather conditions are warm, breezy and sunny, corn can dry down .25 percent per day in the field.



Drying corn in the bin can take about the same time as drying it in the field if the corn in the bin is being dried with unheated, natural air at 1 cubic foot of air per minute per bushel.

For long-term storage without aeration, corn should be at 15 percent moisture and soybeans at 13 percent.

Before the rain this week, corn planted before rains in early May was averaging around 17 percent moisture and group 2 soybeans were about 13 to 15 percent moisture.

A storm system is predicted to hit the state next week which should pull in enough cold air that the western two-thirds of the state could see snow.

In addition, a second, more potent system is expected to hit the state around Nov. 1 and 2. This system also will have the potential for snow.

the time required to dry wet grain depends on the grain's initial moisture content, the grain dryer's airflow rate, the humidity and temperature of air coming into the bin, and how much the temperature inside is increasing if a heated drying system is used.

This, combined with higher energy costs, can quickly add expenses to a crop that already has higher than usual input costs.

Corn can be dried faster by using a propane burner. For example, if 20 degrees could be added to the ambient air temperatures, it can reduce drying time in half. However, this also adds the cost of propane.

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