Cheapest grain storage

[AJ123]

I need to store about 1000 t of barley.. must be on farm, so not central storage. Will be dry so no drying required. May just need to be able to cool.
Is only to take pressure at harvest, so only storing for a month or so. I’m open to this kind of thing. https://toroshelters.com/portfolio-items/salt-barns/?portfolioCats=105,85

What is the cheapest way of doing it?conventional barn , silo etc?

 

[Lincsman]

You would be surprised how little it gets wet stored outdoors for that period, if you can harvest at 14% or less any wetting mixes in.

 

[Bobthebuilder]

A shed would surely be best option then it could be used for something else when barley has gone

 

[grainboy]

 

[grainboy]

Plenty available

 

[Flatlander]

We built a tarp building but not fir grain. cheaper than a steel frame building fir sure but if your going to need the cement floor you may as well not cheap out and build a proper shed and have it fir many years to come. ive Built 3000tons of storage here in the last four years. All on hoppers with air fir cooling and to some degree drying. Not cheap but will last longer than me. The last three built here hold 380 tons of wheat each and after all concrete bins and site work it’s around 170$ a ton.

 

[nxy]

Local coop here leaves thousands of tonnes of grain outside for several months each summer. Concrete pad and conrete A shaped panels. Its not sheeted or anything rain seems to go straight through it!

 

[Flatlander]

Local coop here leaves thousands of tonnes of grain outside for several months each summer. Concrete pad and conrete A shaped panels. Its not sheeted or anything rain seems to go straight through it!

Same here with soya beans. Local grain elavator I’ve taken beans too have an oval made from heavy motorway crash barrier type of sheeting. once it’s full it’s tarped and the fans turned on to vacuum the tarp to the beans. Never seen it flaping or ripped off. 40 thousand tons I was told in one pile. Usually gone by spring thou.

 

[startinghandle]

You would be surprised how little it gets wet stored outdoors for that period, if you can harvest at 14% or less any wetting mixes in.

The last corn we grew was cut with binder so my knowledge is somewhat limited but I can't understand why leaving it outside is ok ... perhaps it's ok in some countries but not in uk where rats are everywhere

 

[Flatlander]

The last corn we grew was cut with binder so my knowledge is somewhat limited but I can't understand why leaving it outside is ok ... perhaps it's ok in some countries but not in uk where rats are everywhere

Friend had a pile of oats a few years back in the corner of a field. Was dry when he cut it but from the moisture off the ground and rain/snow I ended up drying it all in the middle of january. Lots of sprouting and moldy lump.apparently about a foot on the top was waste and six inches on the ground was solid mold. as For doing this in the uk it’s a recipe for disaster.

 

[ollie989898]

As others have mentioned, a proper shed you can store stuff in once the barley is gone.

 

[Lincsman]

The last corn we grew was cut with binder so my knowledge is somewhat limited but I can't understand why leaving it outside is ok ... perhaps it's ok in some countries but not in uk where rats are everywhere

The op is talking a month at the most, in August/ sept, if you get caught in a thunderstorm on an unsheeted trailer most of the water runs out the back door, it isnt as easy as you might think to wet grain.

 

[AJ123]

The op is talking a month at the most, in August/ sept, if you get caught in a thunderstorm on an unsheeted trailer most of the water runs out the back door, it isnt as easy as you might think to wet grain.

I’m starting to think outside is not a crazy idea, I’ve probably got more use and get a better return for a large concrete pad the rest of the year than I have another shed. But obviously there is the attraction of adding to the asset and building another barn.

 

[startinghandle]

The op is talking a month at the most, in August/ sept, if you get caught in a thunderstorm on an unsheeted trailer most of the water runs out the back door, it isnt as easy as you might think to wet grain.

Ok... but I would never leave grain out
If I was in the same position I would look at adapting existing sheds in some way

 

[Lincsman]

I’m starting to think outside is not a crazy idea, I’ve probably got more use and get a better return for a large concrete pad the rest of the year than I have another shed. But obviously there is the attraction of adding to the asset and building another barn.

Its been done locally to me, a wall of big bales and a lorry sheet was used, but sheeting it wouldn't be easy.

 

[startinghandle]

I should have said adapting sheds for grain that could be converted back afterwards without too much trouble

 

[Foxcover]

We built a tarp building but not fir grain. cheaper than a steel frame building fir sure but if your going to need the cement floor you may as well not cheap out and build a proper shed and have it fir many years to come. ive Built 3000tons of storage here in the last four years. All on hoppers with air fir cooling and to some degree drying. Not cheap but will last longer than me. The last three built here hold 380 tons of wheat each and after all concrete bins and site work it’s around 170$ a ton.

Fair play to you, tidy set up, but $193k to build something to store 1140 tons of grain that you can’t use for anything else

 

[curlietailz]

The last corn we grew was cut with binder so my knowledge is somewhat limited but I can't understand why leaving it outside is ok ... perhaps it's ok in some countries but not in uk where rats are everywhere

Before it was harvested it had been outside for weeks though

 

[startinghandle]

Before it was harvested it had been outside for weeks though

Yes it was outside and it was oats cut green for our milking cows but we had big problems with milk fever after calving... 1966 or 67 was final year after that very little milk fever problem.. it was cut by Tanner. With Field Marshall tractor
As I said my knowledge of growing corn is somewhat limited but if I did grow corn there's no way I would leave it outside after harvesting

 

[Flatlander]

Fair play to you, tidy set up, but $193k to build something to store 1140 tons of grain that you can’t use for anything else

It is a lot to store that tonnage but that includes air tubes and fans and temperature cables. Concrete rebar concrete pump and gravel was biggest part of 50k. At my age they will outlast me and making grain handling easier might encourage the next generation to farm too. Unlikely but I’m willing to try. I do have a shed I use for storage too but find it restricting as there is no cooling or drying and once I’ve a few hopper bins empty I usually fill them from the shed to avoid grain bugs. Have has issues with them in uncooled grain.