For moist grain maize, only chemical preservation, ensiling or drying are possible alternatives.

Havestore tower silos are often found in pig fattening systems because this enables fully automatic feed delivery. Cost calculations show that per ton of wet maize stored in high silos, costs of up to 100 € / t arise (by fully filled high silo). Investment costs for 1,000 t of grain maize of up to € 300,000 depending on the size, associated with a high capital risk.

The traditional acid preservation of grain maize, usually under the influence of air in a hall, is a traditional process in which the amount of acid to be introduced is determined depending on the moisture content and storage time. With a moisture content of 35% and a storage period of 6 months, 15 l propionic acid per ton must be dosed for stable storage. Costs for buildings, special floor coatings and the security measures to protect staff lead to costs of 40-50 € per ton of grain maize.

The alternative is the hose. If you grind with a Romill or Geringhoff grinder and at the same time fill the bag, you can calculate with full costs of 13-15 € per ton. Due to the closed system of the bag, a reduced addition of 2-3 liters of preservative per ton is sufficient. The resulting total costs are less than € 20 per ton and are therefore an economic factor in animal production.

Whole grain storage for drying in a film tube is possible for a certain period of time. The grain excavator can be used for this.