Farmers may harvest soybeans with higher moisture content than usual this year. NDSU Extension Engineer Ken Hellevang says to maintain better quality of those soybeans, farmers should store the crop at no greater than 18 percent moisture. “I’m concerned about the 20 percent moisture soybeans. At that point, the beans are getting enough surface moisture if they go into the bins and you get a freeze/thaw cycle in there the beans can freeze together. Then, they don’t flow out.” Hellevang says if farmers air dry soybeans in the spring, they need at least one cubic foot per minute per bushel (air flow rate). It will take lots of air and some time to dry the crop. “Farmers may be able to hold soybeans over winter at a higher moisture, but if moisture content is higher than 18 percent, farmers should consider alternative drying options before warmer temperatures next spring.”
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