Kankakee Valley Post, Volume 18, Number 46, DeMotte, Jasper County, 15 October 1948 — Temporary Storage Poses Problem For Jasper Co. Farmers [ARTICLE]

Temporary Storage Poses Problem For Jasper Co. Farmers

Temporary storage for Jasper County’s bumper corn crop is the problem uppermost in the mind of almost every farmer in the country and one that will have to be answered on the home farm, J. A. Carol!, county agent says. Farmers throughout Indiana are determined to use every effort to prevent quantities of grain from flooding the terminal markets resulting in disastrous price drops. Indications are that available resources, including native timber, supplies of snow fencing and welded wire will be put into use to store the crop. Round cribs made of snow fence as shown in the drawing, will.provide one of the most economical means of storing ear corn when temporary storage is needed. Unless these cribs, however, have a roof or cover that will exclude water, they cannot keep the corn in good condition beyond the winter months when the weather becomes humid. This ridged pile of corn can be satisfactorily covered with waterproofed paper, boards or metal roofing. Such roofing materials can best be held down on the pile of corn by hanging weights to the roofing material or in the case of paper, weights should be hung to woven wire placed over the paper. The roofing paper is cut to fit inside the cribbing and weights are hung on wires which extend down through the cribbing so that the roofing can settle with the corn as the corn dries. If the roofing is held tight against the corn it will be able to withstand rather severe winds. The rectangular crib, as shown in the diagram, is built on a post frame with siding of snow fence, a tight roof and floor, which makes the most satisfactory temporary crib. It is superior to filling the driveway of a double crib or building a picket fence on one side of a permanent crib as a temporary measure. Even with the moisture content of the corn not over 20 percent these emergency storage practices may result in some spoilage, the coun-. ty agent warns. Natural ventilation will be most effective if the temporary crib is built from six to eight feet wide. If the corn to be stored is high in moisture content, an Aventilator can be installed as an added precaution. The board floor of l”xl2” material should clear the ground by at least six inches. It can be supported by timbers laid on the ground or by old railroad ties, telephone poles or natives timber poles. The crib should be well braced and properly tied together for stability. Further details and bills of construction materials may be obtained from the county agent. Farmers interested in loans or purchase agreements to cover stored grains should contact the county agricultural conservation office for information regarding kind and type of storage structures to meet requirements.