Review grain bin safety rules before harvest begins

Sep 13, 2019

University of Missouri Extension rural safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch said National Farm Safety and Health Week, Sept. 15-21, is a good time to review precautions for grain bins with farmworkers and family members.

This year’s theme, “Shift Farm Safety Into High Gear,” reminds us to remain vigilant at all times when working on or visiting farms, Funkenbusch says.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recorded a record number of fatal grain bin entrapments in 2012. Since then, entrapments have steadily decreased. Funkenbusch credits this to the work of numerous agricultural groups and safety demonstrations such as those sponsored by MU and Missouri AgrAbility each year at the Missouri State Fair.

But grain bins are still among the biggest dangers on farms. It takes only five seconds for flowing grain to suck someone in, and less than 20 seconds for complete entrapment, Funkenbusch says. It takes even less time for children.

It takes more than 325 pounds of force to raise a 165-pound mannequin covered in corn, she says.

Before harvest, Funkenbusch suggests the following:

• Sit down with employees and family members. Identify and assign tasks and locate equipment.

• Decide how you will communicate with one another.

• Develop and communicate an emergency action plan.

• Avoid entry. Use masks, harnesses and other equipment when entering bins. Never go alone. “Farmers put themselves at grave risk when they work alone, especially when working around grain bins,” Funkenbusch says.

• Turn off and lock out energy sources.

• Do not “walk down” grain to make it flow, and never enter on or below bridged grain.

• Check rescue equipment.

Source : missouri.edu

Video: From Conventional to Regenerative: Will Groeneveld’s Journey Back to the Land

"You realize you've got a pretty finite number of years to do this. If you ever want to try something new, you better do it."

That mindset helped Will Groeneveld take a bold turn on his Alberta grain farm. A lifelong farmer, Will had never heard of regenerative agriculture until 2018, when he attended a seminar by Kevin Elmy that shifted his worldview. What began as curiosity quickly turned into a deep exploration of how biology—not just chemistry—shapes the health of our soils, crops and ecosystems.

In this video, Will candidly reflects on his family’s farming history, how the operation evolved from a traditional mixed farm to grain-only, and how the desire to improve the land pushed him to invite livestock back into the rotation—without owning a single cow.

Today, through creative partnerships and a commitment to the five principles of regenerative agriculture, Will is reintroducing diversity, building soil health and extending living roots in the ground for as much of the year as possible. Whether it’s through intercropping, zero tillage (which he’s practiced since the 1980s) or managing forage for visiting cattle, Will’s approach is a testament to continuous learning and a willingness to challenge old norms.

Will is a participant in the Regenerative Agriculture Lab (RAL), a social innovation process bringing together producers, researchers, retailers and others to co-create a resilient regenerative agriculture system in Alberta. His story highlights both the potential and humility required to farm with nature, not against it.