Discussion at a state corn growers’ association meeting normally would center on matters such as yields, marketing, government policies, the weather, finances and director elections.
All of those things were part of the Feb. 6 Wisconsin Corn Growers’ Association and Wisconsin Corn Promotion Board annual meetings in Wisconsin Dells. But a more immediate life-and-death matter also was part of those discussions.
Growers at the meetings were pointing to the importance of safety around grain bins.
Farmers are becoming trapped in grain bins — often fatally — in record numbers this year. Corn growers at the meetings said the condition of the corn when it was harvested this year is making the problem as bad as it’s ever been.
They discussed how the corn harvested with higher-than-normal moisture levels has caused much of the corn has developed crusty layers that make the corn difficult to remove from the bins. Farmers are entering the bins to knock the corn loose, and then become trapped by the corn.
The issue especially is becoming prevalent in February, as farmers are trying to get their corn out of those bins before it spoils any further.
The talk continued about how farmer should never enter bins without using safety precautions such as harnesses tied tethered to a safe area, and that the farmer should never enter a bin without someone else present.
It might seem such an easy thing for those who haven’t been involved in farming, but anyone who’s farmed will tell you that it truly is easy to skip a safety step along the way in the name of getting work done — not to mention how familiarity with a job can put safety on the back burner.
This time, the matter of safety wasn’t a group of professionals or safety experts speaking at farmers to remind them about an important safety issue. Instead, it was the farmers themselves reminding each other about the issue.
Safety is the priority.
Leave a Reply