Grain bins are getting bigger, but many farmers aren’t changing how they monitor the condition of the grain inside, according to Charlie Hurburgh, director of Iowa’s Grain Quality Initiative.

"I’m told most new bins are not outfitted with electronic temperature monitoring systems," Hurburgh says. "They should be. These bigger bins that you can’t check manually will be at a bigger risk (of grain spoilage) because it’s harder to get an accurate temperature."

OPI, a grain storage management company, estimates that of the 13-plus billion bushels of on-farm storage in the United States, less than 10 percent is equipped with electronic monitoring.

Bins being built on farms today...