Tuesday, June 11th, 2024
Silos: A Thing of the Past?
Silos have always been part of the ag landscape
By Michael Frank
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
Silos like these are still common on Grand Lake area farms, but they are slowly being taken down.
FORT RECOVERY - A common sight for visitors and locals as they drive through the Grand Lake region are small domed tower silos.
Tower silos, used to store grain or hay to feed dairy cows, still dot the landscape, though many are no longer used due to farmers leaving the business or farmers implementing different ways of feed storage, Dan Post of Post Excavating and Landscaping of Fort Recovery said.
"They may have switched to grain or beef," he said.
Ryan McMichael, Ohio State extension educator for Mercer County said that tower silo usage "is very few and far between" because the amount that a silo can store outweighs the need of smaller farms.
Post said that the majority of tower silos in the area were put up 30-40 years ago, in the 1980-90s.
He said silos are constructed in three ways - wood staves, concrete blocks or steel panels, although "all serve the same purpose."
Post said that older silos can be a liability, since the acid from corn affects the concrete, and thus can weaken the structure.
Post said that he started doing silo removals about six years ago, and has done just under 60 to date.
Submitted Photo
Demolition of a tower silo.
Submitted Photo
Demolition of a tower silo.
He explained that experience is needed to determine where the center of the silo is at in order to control how it falls.
"Experience is the biggest thing," Post said. "Everyone is different. Some have the corn silage still in, which acts like a mattress."
Once the silo is brought down, the steel can be sold to a scrap dealer. If it is concrete, it can be crushed or used for other purposes.
Post said that silo removals can take place during any time of the year, but many are done during the fall after crops are harvested.
The removal process typically involves removing a section near the bottom, and then pulling the structure to the ground with a cable attached to a vehicle.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
Tower silos that stored grain to feed dairy cows used to be familiar items on farms throughout the country.
According to the International Silo Association website, stave silos have a wall thickness from 2 3/4 to 3 1/4 inches, depending on the block type. Other silos can have a thickness of 5-7 inches.
Silos are typically 10-90 feet in diameter and 30-275 feet in height, according to information from Oregon State University's website.
The website states that advantages of silos are the tendency to pack well due to its own weight, requiring less area for construction, greater mechanization during filling and more convenient to unload in winter.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
A drive through the country shows there are still many silos dotting the ag landscape.
Post said that many farmers have switched to keeping the silage in bunkers, which has easier labor and more convenience.
Bunker silos are trenches in the ground, usually with concrete walls, he said. The trench is covered with a plastic tarp to make it airtight.
McMichael said that storing silage in a bunker or in bags offers greater flexibility, as they can be relocated if desired. "It's easier to pack a bag then to get a blower (for a tower silo)," he said. "The practicality of a tower silo is not economically feasible as it once was," he said.
Bunker silos are well suited to large operations, can be filled with conventional farm equipment, and are inexpensive, per the Oregon State website.
The International Silo Association website states that 80% of the cost of the storage structure is filling, unloading and feed loss. The average tower silo will lose between 6-9% of its dry matter, primarily due to anaerobic respiration of the fermenting bacteria.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
A drive through the country shows there are still many silos dotting the ag landscape.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
Tower silos that stored grain to feed dairy cows used to be familiar items on farms throughout the country.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
A drive through the country shows there are still many silos dotting the ag landscape.
