By: Roger Slaughter, President and Tom Miller, Grain Handling Equipment Sales
We recently read an article in the Iowa Farmer Today titled, “Storage Savvy”. In this article, Steve Johnson, Iowa State University Extension Farm Management Specialist, shared his thoughts on why growers might build on-farm grain storage versus storing at an elevator.
By: Tom Miller, Grain Handling Equipment Sales
Grain entrapment can happen in a matter of seconds. Two seconds is the time you have to react when an auger starts to turn. In four seconds, you are trapped and need assistance to escape. After an additional 18 seconds, you have been fully engulfed by the moving grain. At this point, unless a successful rescue is had, suffocation will occur. A Purdue University study shows that there were 29 grain entrapment cases in 2016. Of those, 38% were fatal. When it comes to fatalities, one is too many.
Employees are one of the most important ingredients in our recipe for success. Through our Employee Spotlight Blog Series, we like to highlight the people who serve our customers! Since 2015, Bruce Matt has helped with spring and fall fertilizer, along with other jobs around Stutsmans. This passionate farmer has been around agriculture is whole life and is a great member of our team!
By: Dave Miller, Bin Sales and Service Manager
Nothing compares to the frustration of putting harvest on pause to fix an issue with your grain bin setup (especially when maintenance could prevent it). Even worse, a full bin that refuses to unload come springtime. Before we start pulling augers up to the grain bins this harvest season, we need to do some house cleaning.
By: Tom Miller, Grain Bin & Equipment Sales
Regardless of industry, safety continues to be a major force behind change. Unfortunately, it usually takes an accident of some sort to catalyze improvements and prioritize grain handling safety. Often overshadowed by more fatal accidents like tractor rollovers, grain entrapments or entanglements in PTO’s, falls are still a hazard of the job that plagues producers of all ages.
Spring is just around the corner and temperatures are starting to rise (very slowly). Now is the time to start thinking about warming stored grain. Keeping stored grain within 10 to 15 degrees of the ambient temperature outside will help the grain keep longer. Tom Miller has shared three tips that he suggests you consider and incorporate into your spring grain management.
With the rising temperatures in the spring, stored grain can deteriorate quickly if not kept within 10 to 15 degrees of the ambient air temperature outside the bin. Cold grain will collect moisture from the warmer air just as moisture forms on the glass of a cold beverage. This moisture aids in mold growth. To prevent any deterioration, I suggest these simple Spring grain management tips.
With temperatures getting cooler, rodents are on the move and looking for warm places to stay. On top of this, weather patterns over the past few years have been ideal for reproduction. The recent increase in population makes rodent control more important now than ever. On top of being unwanted intruders, rats and mice pose a biosecurity risk spreading disease to humans and livestock alike. If that isn’t bad enough, they cause feed loss from direct consumption as well as contamination. The destruction doesn’t stop there either; rodents cause structural damage to buildings and possible electrical fires from gnawing on wires.
We strongly believe one of the most important ingredients in our recipe for success is our employees. Through our Employee Spotlight Blog Series, learn more about the people who make up the Stutsman team. Meet Tom Miller, Grain Handling Equipment Sales. Tom is responsible for selling equipment, working with customers for repairs, and facilitating/organizing bin installation crews. Before joining the Grain Handling & Storage Division, Tom started out in the feed department, working in billing, the warehouse and as an on-the-road salesman; altogether he’s been with us for 14 years!
As we inch closer and closer to fall, it’s time to do a pre-harvest inspection of your grain handling equipment. This includes grain bins, augers, heaters, fans, and dryers. Pre-inspections can fix problems before you’re ready to fill the bin, saving you valuable time (and headaches) during the rush of the season.
