An Iowa State University grain quality specialist, Charles Hurburgh says some growers are choosing to leave corn in the fields because the kernels’ moisture content is too high for safe storage.

The late harvest and cold weather have strained the delivery system for the propane needed to dry the corn. Hurburgh says the colder weather will help farmers who are waiting to dry grain.

“If the weather stays cold…without a lot of warm, humid days and so forth…it’s probably not going to be moldy. After standing a while, it’ll probably come out of the field at seventeen to eighteen percent moisture…somewhere in that area,” Hurburgh says. He says the corn will still be okay to harvest.

“As long as the stalks are strong….and it’s not falling on the ground. So leaving it in the field is not an automatic loss,” Hurburgh says. He says the cold will also help those who are still waiting to dry corn that’s in bins.

“There is 20 to 24 percent corn in places in bins at temperatures below 30 that will probably be okay for a month or two until this gas situation clears up and the corn can be dried and taken to wherever. The cold weather was a real benefit to us,” he says.

The State Agriculture Secretary says the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is going to get the propane shippers and the pipeline representatives together this week to work on the delivery problems. He say they hope that will lead to an increase in the supply of propane this week and next.