Making sure your facility is ready to handle the harvest rush
While each new harvest season provides different opportunities and challenges, harvest preparedness always encompasses many of the same steps. The goal of handling and storing grain is to keep it in the best condition possible to leverage the best price and profit. The grain comes to the elevator in a condition over which we have no control. But the facilities, equipment, management of the grain, and the training of employees have a huge impact on what happens to the grain quality from scale to the next stop along the supply chain. Now is the time to make plans for this new crop coming into the facilities to ensure the best quality and highest profits possible.
Keeping grain in good condition starts long before the grain comes to the elevator from the field. While no single activity is solely responsible for storing and marketing a quality crop and providing safety for workers, cleaning, maintenance, and repairs to grain handling equipment are close to the top of the list of important activities. If left undone, not only is profit limited, but also catastrophic consequences can occur such as fire, explosions, and damage to property and even people.
Leaky structures, compromised bin structures, rusted doors and openings, clogged vents and exhaust fans, broken/missing bolts in steel bins, cracked concrete and gaps between bin rings all give moisture and insects an avenue to enter the grain and establish biological activity that quickly deteriorates grain quality.
Fall Harvest Prep
Below is a list for facility managers to address in preparation for the fall harvest and incoming grain.
Questions managers should be able to answer at this point in the season might include:
• Do employees understand how to clean grain bins? Does the company have written standards and policies for the work employees will do to clean grain bins?
• Do employees know and understand the ultimate goal of storing grain? Do they know the warning signs of grain going out of condition?
• Are employees aware of safety requirements, OSHA standards, company policies, and proper PPE, confined space entry steps, and how to do their job safely?
• What training opportunities need to be available for employees so they can do their jobs properly? How, where, and who will deliver the training? How will the employees be assessed on their knowledge? How will the training records be acquired and saved?
• Are bins and handling equipment in good condition?
• What repairs and improvements need to be made before the next crop comes in?
• What equipment upgrades and renovations need to be done before loading new bins?
• What goals does the company have for this crop season?
• What seasonal employee hiring will this season require? Where will the new employees come from?
Safety Equipment and Personnel Training
Often new and seasonal workers are added for harvest. Existing employees need at least a yearly reminder of safety and procedural topics for the jobs. Employees must be trained in safety procedures and the policies for the facility regardless if they are seasonal workers or permanent employees.
Be sure to closely document the training of these employees as well as the content presented during the training. Keep these records for at least three years in case of OSHA inspection or an emergency. Resources for this training are available through GEAPS, the Grain Handling Safety Coalition, OSHA, and NGFA as well as many land grant universities, safety consultants, and equipment companies.
Now is the time to inspect harnesses and all other safety equipment. Expiration dates on equipment should be checked and replacement equipment purchased. Make sure rescue training and equipment is current and available if needed. In case of an emergency, make sure appropriate response teams, fire departments, and emergency agencies are aware of the facility, the kinds of incidents that may occur, and the preparedness they should always maintain to respond when the unthinkable happens.
Train all personnel on what to look for in grain quality and equipment. They can be the first line of detection for deteriorating grain and equipment malfunction. Before the rush of harvest, make time to educate employees so that they work safer, the company gets the greatest benefit from their expertise during work time, and everyone goes home safe and sound at the end of the day.
Cleaning
Removal of previous stored grain is fairly obvious in storage bins. However, augers, trucks, pits, bucket elevators, and areas around belts are often forgotten. This equipment is known to be a common cause of fires and explosions in grain handling facilities.
Cleaning is important all year long, but when the facility is at its lowest storage inventory and fewer trucks are coming across the scales, it’s a good time to get to the often hard-to-access areas. Simple use of brooms, dust pans, and explosion-proof vacuums/grain vacs can prevent significant risks.
Make sure areas around bins are free from vegetation and spilled grain. Removal of bird droppings and nests in head houses and tops of bins helps to reduce new bird activity and also aids in determining the success of bird prevention efforts. Apply empty bin sprays and treatments when appropriate. Note any repairs that must be made before putting new grain back in the bins.
Be sure to refer to facility or company housekeeping procedures and document cleaning activities and the dates performed. If your facility does not have written bin cleaning and housekeeping procedures, now is definitely the time to establish these.
Recordkeeping acts as a good benchmark and motivator to keep all equipment and work areas clean. Not only is this good management practice, it is required by government standards especially for commercial facilities (OSHA 1910.272).
For examples of these procedures, seek online resources from GEAPS, the Grain Handling Safety Coalition, and NGFA. Contractors also stand ready to assist in establishing housekeeping records and procedures as well as other recordkeeping tasks.
Inspecting
Along with inspecting cleaning efforts, now is the time to inspect the operational condition of all handling and storage equipment. Pay particular attention to bearings and wiring. Worn bearings cause heat that can cause complete failure of any moving parts and can also lead to explosions and fires. The failure of any piece of handling equipment can be a huge problem at the height of demand during harvest. While bucket elevator bearings are notorious for being hard to service and replace, they are known to be the cause of many catastrophic events. A scheduled maintenance and replacement plan for all bearings in handling equipment should be in place and kept current. One day of downtime during harvest is an economic disaster if a bearing heats or seizes, not to mention shutting down the facility if fire is discovered.
Inspecting bearing temperature sensors and wear sensors on belts is also essential. These sensors can be secretly non-functional, depending on the electronic system in the facility. Like having a smoke alarm in a household that has a bad battery, bearing and belt sensors can give that same false sense of security if they are not inspected and tested regularly. Consider these sensors as communication tools between managers and the equipment. Maintenance keeps communication channels open and facilities safe.
Temperature cables are known to be high-maintenance items. Now is the time to replace, repair, and test temperature cables for the incoming crop. Temperature cables are the means of communication with the internal happenings in the grain bulk. Rises in temperature give managers and employees an early warning that grain condition is declining. Cables cannot be exchanged and are difficult to repair once the crop is in the bin.
Replacing and Upgrading Equipment
If the facility has plans for unloading auger, drag, belt, or sweep auger replacement, now is an optimal time to make those changes. Upgrading to zero-entry sweep augers has been considered a boost for a safer working environment.
Checking sump grating conditions, electrical wiring and controls conditions, and all guarding and safety equipment is extremely important. Keep records of inspections and any changes made to this equipment so that management can make decisions on timely replacement and future maintenance.
Aeration systems and grain drying equipment must be inspected at least annually to ensure operation when new product comes into the facility. High demand during harvest puts a heavy load on these systems, and downtime is very costly.
Warm weather and high moisture conditions amplify the heavy demand on aeration and drying equipment. Elevators simply do not have time to stop and make the repairs during harvest, and this can lead to huge declines in grain quality and ultimately present unsafe conditions when mold, insects, and heat build in the grain.
Consult instruction and maintenance manuals on equipment or contact equipment contractors for inspection checks. Just because the equipment worked appropriately at the end of last harvest does not mean it will perform now. Time and weather are not the friend of this equipment.
Electronic equipment is particularly sensitive to the dusty grain environment. Inspection and replacing during the time prior to harvest is essential. Time is costly once the new crop arrives.
Key Reminders
• If it moves or rotates, check it now, and service it.
• If it generates or encounters dust, check it now, and clean it.
• If it touches grain, check it now, and repair or replace it.
• If it saves lives, check it and/or replace it now.
• Keep records of all inspections and maintenance.
• Install new equipment and keep records of replaced parts and equipment.
• Train all employees including new seasonal employees for grain quality detection, equipment operation, safety procedures, and policies.
• Plan for new employee hiring and training for everyone.
• Make sure emergency response agencies are ready, willing, and able to respond when called to the kinds of incidents for the facility.
It’s a good time to serve barbecue and invite them to your facility for intense talks and walkthroughs.
Resources
GEAPS knowledge resource center: geaps.com/training-education/online-learning.
NGFA safety and education topics: ngfa.org/safety.
General safety and training information: grainsafety.org/training-2.
Preparing Grain Bins and Flat Storages for Harvest. BAE-1112. extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/preparing-grain-bins-and-flat-storages-prior-to-harvest-or-incoming-product-storage.html.
Preparing for Harvest and Grain Storage. cropwatch.unl.edu/2018/preparing-harvest-grain-storage.
Dr. Carol Jones, Ph.D., PE, is a professor emeritus and ombuds officer at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, and president and lead engineer of CL Jones Consulting, LLC.