Investigate Midwest (https://investigatemidwest.org/tag/grain/)
Severe weather and flooding that impacted much of the Midwest are expected to cause multinational agribusiness company Archer Daniels Midland to lose millions of dollars.
Grain bins, a common sight for anyone traveling through Iowa and other corn belt states, are a source of contention for agriculture safety specialists. Lack of research means specialists are unable to provide consistent advice to farmers about working in the storage bins. The safety experts are “dropping the ball,” said LaMar Grafft, a rural health and safety specialist.
On Sept. 17, 2013, Danville firefighters spent the day training for grain-bin rescues. Dave Newcomb, the agriculture rescue program manager for the Illinois Fire Service Institute, taught the intensive, eight-hour training course. The course included sessions on using grain-bin rescue tubes, sawing through grain-bins and evaluating grain hazards.
As harvest season approaches, rescue workers prepare themselves for the possibility of grain-bin entrapments. On Sept. 17, 2013, the Illinois Fire Service Institute and the Danville Fire Department met at a Bunge Milling facility for grain-bin rescue training. Dave Newcomb, agriculture rescue program manager for the institute, was the main instructor. In this video, he describes what happens during training.