New Grain Bin?

[Ghost River Retrievers]

I'm not a farmer, but own some farmland in southeast Missouri and northeast Arkansas.
The time has come to put in a grain bin for corn (most years it will be corn, but soybeans are also grown on the farm). Until now, the family who farms the land has provided storage (at a cost), but they are now in a position to need all their storage for their own crops.
A 40,000 bushel bin has been recommended.
The site for the bin has been prepared (no pad has been poured) and electricity has been run to the site. It's situated roughly 1 mile from a major highway and is adjacent to a good gravel road.
For a basic bin arrangement, what's the "best guess" cost?
What "accessories" should I consider (and what is the "best guess" cost for them)?
I appreciate any information which can be provided.
Thanks,
GRR

 

[oldnslo]

Are you going to have aeration fans on this bin?
Will there be dryer on premises?

Are you going shorter and larger diameter like 48 ft dia by 8 rings high or taller and smaller diameter 42 ft dia x 10 rings high.

Adding sidewall stiffeners for wind load.

Type of unloading system and sweep also affect price.

With above variables and others and price fluctuations it is very difficult to guess but suspect will be $1.00 to $ 2.00 per bushel depending on site work required, delivery distance for gravel, concrete, etc.

Simple bin could be less, more complex bin could be more.

 

[ponytug]

@Ghost River Retrievers you did not mention who is combining the grain, and whether you have any input into how dry or wet it is, going into the bin.

Is the grain for sale, or use on the premises?

Getting grain to the right humidity throughout the bin was always our fall and winter work, but that was farther north. I don't know what is needed in your area. Being able to monitor and move the grain in storage had a significant impact and improvement in grain quality, as did being able to (easily) core out wet sections to use, sell, or dry and return.

All the best, Peter

 

[Ghost River Retrievers]

Thanks for the replies!!!
Very helpful in suggesting the questions that I need to ask and ponder.

At this point, I am planning on aeration fans but not drying.
Diameter/Height ... I haven't considered.
Type of sweep is being discussed.

The long-term farmer is combining, but unfortunately I don't have much say in how wet/dry it is going into the bin.
The corn will be sold to a nearby high-volume facility which will store some of the grain but pays a premium for daily delivery.
I plan on having on-site monitors.

Appreciatively,
GRR

 

[Phil Timmons]

Just asking details for you to check list.

Concrete Base? Once that goes down, you start living with the results.

40K Bushels? Supporting about 200 acres?

Electricity available for blowers, augers, lighting?

Gas available for Dryers?

Water might be nice, but not required, right?

Access on site. You will be pulling in/out full Semis with 40+ foot trailers? Are the pull-through routes planned in? With over-head clearance. Dead-Ends on Dirt truly suck. Not a paved path, right?

Elevated or high-spot location? You do not want to deal with standing water or mud while pulling trucks and grain-wagons in and out.

I am not current on Code for this -- any Fire Marshal review required? What about other Building, Local and Safety Codes review?

PE (Professional Engineer) Stamp from manufacture or install contractor?

Wind and Snow Loads correct for your area?

General Liability and Worker's Comp for contractor on site? If not, the site owner takes on that liability.

 

[oldnslo]

GRR
If you have no input on condition - moisture content of grain going into the bin you could be asking for trouble since wet grain can start to heat a spoil quickly especially in warmer humid climate. May want to talk to local bin builders about option of two 20,000 bushel vs one 40,000 bushel. This could provide options of easier to aerate and core or turn if start having heating problems.

Not sure on cost of one vs two but a good bin sight contractor should be able to answer those questions and provide some insight on what works in your area vs around here.

Maybe talk to some local grain farmers on what they suggest or company they use for bin sites.

Best wishes on making a decision that works for you.

 

[ponytug]

@Ghost River Retrievers unless you have a way to really control moisture, I would seriously consider just trucking from the field to the high volume facility and taking the deductions for water, and in harvest delivery. If the facility can't take the grains from the field, I would look into getting a different leaseholder that can manage the grain conditioning and storage.

I'm with @oldnslo, in that if you don't have control over the grain coming in, and given that you are in a warm humid environment with no dryer, I don't think those two sound like a great combination for reliable storage. Moreover, those would be a set of conditions that I would expect regularly to lose a hefty fraction of the harvest to spoilage, which is then its' own disposal issue. I personally prefer not to have to write off harvests.

Personally, I think that there are better alternatives than building a bin or bins with no dryer.

All the best,

Peter

 

[GrandpaSmurf825]

Onsite monitors? So you will have the sensors added in the bin? I am not positive but these will I am pretty certain require either cellular or wifi to be able to communicate conditions. If the current tenant isn't willing to monitor and manage the grain then that's a problem.
Who is overseeing the construction? As you probably have guessed already the concrete base is the most critical thing of all. The larger the bin the more involved it becomes. An aeration floor and unloading system while less critical are important. You don't have to have drying capabilities but you can't put corn wetter than probably 17-18% moisture in and not have problems. Without a stirator system if you get a hot spot you can't do anything to fix it and if it starts to go bad air won't flow through it. It turns into a clump and goes down hill quickly. It can catch fire if the conditions are right. The other part is some years just running air isn't enough. If it's a cool wet fall you don't get much benefit from air alone. The last couple years at least here which is 4-5 hours north of you we have had ideal harvest conditions and air alone worked well. However the grain dried down in the field very well also. Some loads I was taking to the terminal were too dry. Occasionally under 14%. Some years you are lucky to get below 20% in the field if conditions and the growing season aren't great. The other thing is sometimes when it is cold and then turns warm quickly it can cause the inside of the bin to sweat. Obviously this isn't good either. I have saw grain stuck to the walls when emptying out a bin because of this. It's probably less of an issue there. So aeration fans are needed at a minimum. The unloading auger also needs a sweep auger for when the grain will no longer flow naturally to the "ports" in the floor.

 

[ponytug]

Definitely. And all of the above adds to the cost, amortized over 40,000 bushels for how many good years? For some operations, I think it can make more financial sense to take the docking penalties at the terminal(s). I think it keys into how big and what kind of an operation @Ghost River Retrievers wants to build.

All the best, Peter