12 steps to empty, clean and prep grain bins

Jaynie Norman • Jul 27, 2021

Put safety first when following every one of these steps.

Tom J Bechman | Jun 04, 2020

Farm Progress Show

Aug 31, 2021 to Sep 02, 2021

Once you haul out the last load of grain from a bin, the real work begins. It’s time to thoroughly clean and prepare the bin for the next crop. Unless you do this correctly, you can put your health at risk and set yourself up for storage issues at the same time.

Gary Woodruff, GSI district manager and grain conditioning expert, offers these 12 tips toward safer, more effective grain bin cleaning and prep:

1. De-energize the site. Before you perform any work or service, turn off and disconnect, lock out and tag, or block off all mechanical, electrical, hydraulic and pneumatic equipment that presents a danger. This particularly includes grain-moving equipment, such as augers and belts.

2. Keep everyone out. Grain should not be emptied or moved into or out of the bin while workers are inside, period!

3. Clean outside. Mow and remove all weeds and debris outside the bin for safety purposes. This also eliminates safe harbors for vermin.

4. Deep-clean inside. Using proper respiratory protection, sweep and clean the interior of the bin. Pay special attention to cracks and any areas such as inside stiffeners and obstructions that may allow debris to build up. They can harbor insects or mold.

5. Spray inside and outside. You will want to wait until shortly before harvest to spray for insects. Following all instructions and using proper respiratory and safety equipment, spray and treat the exterior and interior of the bin. Get under a full or partial floor as you spray to minimize insect infestations and mold. Every few years, check accumulations under the floor and clean, even if that means taking up the floor.

6. Clean and check roof vents. Use proper respiratory protection as you inspect and clean all passive or powered roof vents. Make sure there is free flow of aeration or ventilation air.

7. Inspect the structure. A bin is like any farm structure — it can deteriorate over time. Inspect for leaks, rusting or other deterioration to make sure it is structurally correct. Make needed repairs.

8. Check bottom ring seal. Here’s one people often forget to check. Inspect condition of the bottom ring seal and repair, if necessary, to keep water from entering the bottom of the bin.

9. Inspect fans. Check the condition of the aeration fan or fans. Inspect transition and entrance collars for damage and proper seal.

10. Check for gas leaks. If it’s a drying bin, carefully check the gas supply lines, burner, vaporizer and burner gas train for leaks. Make sure all are clean and free of debris, particularly around the burners. Have a qualified service technician repair any problems found. Make sure any rubber hoses are in good condition. Replace them every 10 years, or according to local gas ordinances.

11. Check door seals. Inspect the entrance door, making sure it’s mechanically correct and shuts and seals tightly. Make sure doors are correctly closed before you start to load the bin. Otherwise, whoever opens the door could be at risk of being covered by grain.

12. Wear respiratory equipment. Always practice proper safety with respiratory equipment. Keep the area free of clutter, and take all steps possible to protect against falls when working around any grain bin.The body content of your post goes here. To edit this text, click on it and delete this default text and start typing your own or paste your own from a different source.

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Jaynie Norman

Bill would label livestock rivals as ‘imitation’ or ‘lab-grown’ meat

By Jaynie Norman • 01 Feb, 2024

By Chuck Abbott Successful Farming With U.S. approval of cultivated chicken grown in fermentation vats, farm-state lawmakers filed companion bills in the House and Senate on Tuesday to require alternative proteins, such as plant-based foods, to carry the words “imitation” or “lab-grown” on their labels. Sponsors said they wanted to prevent confusion in the supermarket between “real farm-raised meat” and its rivals. Plant-based meats accounted for 2.5% of retail packaged meat sales in 2022, according to the Good Food Institute, a think tank and network of organizations “working to accelerate alternative protein innovation.” Only a trickle of cultivated chicken is on the U.S. market at present. Upside Foods said last September it would build a commercial-scale plant to produce cell-cultured meat products in suburban Chicago. The USDA is working on label regulations for cultivated meat. In the interim, it decided Upside Foods and Good Meat, which were cleared last summer by USDA to sell cultivated meat to consumers, would label their products as cell-cultivated chicken. “The American consumer deserves to know what they are eating and feeding their family,” said sponsor Rep. Mark Alford, Missouri Republican. “It’s only fair that all products are labeled fairly.” Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall said, “Distinguishing between a black-bean burger and an actual beef burger shouldn’t be hard.” Under the legislation, foods made with plant protein and that are sold with a name associated with products from a food-bearing animal or that are created to taste or look like them would be required to carry the word “imitation” on the label or a word to show the source of the protein. “Meatless chicken tenders” would be one possibility, according to a summary of the bill. Similarly, labels for cultivated meat would include “cell-cultured” or “lab-grown” immediately adjacent to the name of the food. The bill was backed by the largest groups speaking for cattle, hog, sheep, and chicken producers, the American Farm Bureau Federation, and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. Livestock producers have argued for years for restrictive labels to prevent alternative proteins from using names associated with animals. A one-page summary of the bill is available here . To read the text of the legislation, click here .

Prevention and Treatment of Tick Bites

By Jaynie Norman • 23 May, 2023

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Livestock and Animal Antibiotic Changes are Coming Soon

By Jaynie Norman • 12 Jan, 2023

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced in June 2021 that all medically important antimicrobials for food-producing animals and pets will move from over-the-counter (OTC) to prescription (Rx) effective June 2023 . A prescription is already required for most antibiotics delivered to livestock, and the remaining three categories of injectable antibiotics available over-the-counter will soon be joining the list of medically important antimicrobials that require a veterinarian’s prescription. To add to the stress of raising livestock, now things will change again which is going to influence the ag industry overall. I hope that this list of medications will give people a chance to read it and become familiar with the situation before the change comes in June of 2023. Changes Coming are as follow: In 2018, the FDA established a 5 year plan for supporting antimicrobial supervision by veterinarians. The plans purpose to address antimicrobial resistance using only medically necessary drugs as necessary to prevent, treat and control disease. It has to be determined by a licensed veterinarian if it is necessary, but you won’t have to order the prescriptions from the vet directly. You will, however, need to establish a Veterinary-Client-Patient Relationship (VCPR) if certain animals are not examined regularly. Popular Products Will Require Prescriptions Following a recent penicillin shortage, soon producers will get hit with this change that once again impacts access to antibiotic therapy for animals. When you’ve used them for so long as OTC meds to treat pneumonia or shipping fever in your livestock, Now, the change will be to establish the relationship with your veterinarian to get the prescriptions for these meds. Here is the list by active ingredients. The following are some products that will be seeing label changes to prescription-only status: Oxytetracyclines Injectables: Liquamycin LA-200, Noromycin 300 LA, Bio-Mycin 200, Agrimycin 200, etc. Boluses: Terramycin Scours Tablets, OXY 500 Calf Boluses Penicillins (Penicillin G procaine, penicillin G benzathine) Injectables: Penicillin Injectable, Dura-Pen, Pro-Pen-G, Combi-Pen 48, etc. Intramammary tubes: Masti-Clear, Go-dry, Albadry Plus Sulfa-based antibiotics (Sulfadimethoxine, sulfamethazine) Injectables: Di-Methox 40%, SulfMed 40% Boluses: Albon, Sustain III Cattle & Calf Boluses, Supra Sulfa III Cattle & Calf Boluses Tylosin Injectables: Tylan 50, Tylan 200 Cephapirin, cephapirin benzathine Intramammary tubes: ToDAY and ToMORROW Additionally, several swine medications fall under the new guidance: Lincomycin Injectables: Lincomix 100, Lincomix 300, LincoMed 100, LincoMed 300 Gentamicin Injectables: Garasol, Gentamicin Piglet Injection ToDay Mastitis Treatment for Lactating C ows