Harvest is a hectic time on any farm, full of opportunities and risks.
With a lot of work to be done and a limited number of hours, safety should always be a farmer’s No. 1 concern, especially when loading and unloading grain.
Careful attention is required when transporting augers near power lines and while working in and around grain bins.
As the biggest storage options rise 60 feet in the air, growers assume risk every time they step on a ladder to climb a bin. However, those dangers are reduced if they never have to leave the ground.
Fill your bins without climbing
While traditional bin gauges help growers determine when their bins are full, many growers will still travel to the top to ensure that every possible kernel of grain goes into storage.
Today, growers have access to several different kinds of full-bin alarms that do the work for them.
Image: Never Spill Spout
The Never Spill Spout and Kramble Wireless Full Bin Alarm help growers eliminate overfilling and spillage when unloading grain.
While the devices are installed differently — the Never Spill Spout at the top of an auger and the Kramble device at the bottom — they both use sensors that determine when the bin is nearly full, sounding an alarm that lets the operator know to turn the auger off.
Safe storage
Once the grain is in the bin, a digital monitoring application can help growers keep an eye on grain conditions without having to manually take samples.
Temperature and moisture cables can be installed to monitor conditions inside bins, while a wireless grain monitoring system, like OPI Blue, delivers regular updates to mobile and desktop devices.
Stay safe
An incident-free harvest doesn’t happen by accident. Having the right tools is important, but communication, training and equipment maintenance are all critical.
- MORE: Harvest safety tips
- MORE: Preventing grain entrapment
With some thoughtful planning and wise investments, growers can minimize the work required to get the job done and ensure a safe and successful harvest.