The article refers to the accidents happening in “silos”, but it appears that these accidents in reality happened in grain bins that hold dried grain.
Traditional silos store ensiled fodder for feed—”silage”— that ferments and undergoes anerobic fermentation in order to be preserved from spoiling. The gases released during fermentation can provide deadly results, from both direct poisoning or from the consequenses of becoming overcome/unconscious while climbing into the silo. Traditional silos have hazzards that must be respected.
This story is more about entrapement and suffocation in dried grain stored in grain bins. Farmers are not going to call these structures “silos”, but the Times uses that imprecise term to make this hazzard appear like a greater threat than it actually is. The reporter has thus attempted to include traditional silos storing fermented fodder—that have their own distinctive hazzards—in with grain bins that store dried shelled corn or soybeans or other small grains and have the hazzard of entrapement for an individual that enters.
” Farmers are not going to call these structures “silos”, but the Times uses that imprecise term to make this hazzard appear like a greater threat than it actually is.”
There they go again, erring on the side of caution.
I was raised on a dairy farm in Wisconsin in the 40’s , 50’s and early 60’s.
We had silos—which were for SILAGE-—NOT grain.
We NEVER pulled material from the bottom of the silo. We always climbed the ladder rungs to the top of the silage and threw silage down the chute which encompassed the ladder. The only problem we had was that the rungs of the ladder could be slick with frost in the wintertime. The rule was to go slowly- and carefully.
GRAIN BINS are an entirely different structure. They are shorter—squat in construction, and I don’t ever remember having a problem with grain freezing and causing any kind of ‘cave’ under such.
We had large wooden oat bins on the 2nd floor of the barn, with removeable boards at the ‘door’ where we scooped out the grain we needed to feed to the dairy cows and other animals and to mix with other items we used to grind our own feed.
We had temporary cribs made of printing paper pallets, snow fencing and support wire. Those held dry, UNSHELLED corn on the cob. They were used first and were all gone long before spring. We ground our own feed & used the entire cob full of corn, along with other items.
I don’t remember a single farm accident of any kind involving grain bins when I lived on the farm.
I am sorry this young man was killed. Grain bins have been in use for over 100 years in the metal version-——much longer in the wooden version as part of the barn. They are not a problem, IMO.