Technology Working to Keep Producers Safe
Jun 24, 2021
In collaboration with Elanco Animal Health, Sunrise Cooperative is putting technology to use, helping keep producers safe. Sunrise purchased BW Single-Gas Oxygen Detectors to give to some of our producers who have upright silos to ensure they have clean air when checking their silos.
The producers wear them if they need to enter a silo after the silage is harvested and stored. There is always a potential risk involved in working in a silo where silage is fermenting. The gases present in the silo can dissipate the oxygen in the silo to a low enough level to render the producer unconscious and can become fatal if the individual is not removed from the affected area.
According to Jacob Giere, Sunrise Feed Solutions Advisor, one of these monitors did its job.
A producer feels the oxygen detector saved his sons life. His son had entered the top of the silo and as he jumped onto the haylage to level it off the sensor alarm went off. He walked around the circumference of the silo until he found an area that the oxygen was sufficient, to call his dad on the cell phone to activate the blower to ventilate the structure. When he got to that safe zone the monitor ceased to alarm.
At Sunrise, we require all workers to have a monitor with them before entering a grain bin to ensure the safety of our employees, and we want to share this message with our producers.
“We have heard about tragedies that have struck because of unclear air,” said Jacob. “Some do not realize that you should have an air monitor with you when entering your silos and we want to share this important safety reminder with all our producers. With the help of the air monitors, we are spreading the message about farm safety and hopefully helping to prevent a tragedy.”
“Technology on the farm can be used for increasing the performance of the products we sell,” stated Mark Roeth, Vice President of Feed at Sunrise. “But more importantly these air monitors help to save the lives of the producers we serve.”
The producers wear them if they need to enter a silo after the silage is harvested and stored. There is always a potential risk involved in working in a silo where silage is fermenting. The gases present in the silo can dissipate the oxygen in the silo to a low enough level to render the producer unconscious and can become fatal if the individual is not removed from the affected area.
According to Jacob Giere, Sunrise Feed Solutions Advisor, one of these monitors did its job.
A producer feels the oxygen detector saved his sons life. His son had entered the top of the silo and as he jumped onto the haylage to level it off the sensor alarm went off. He walked around the circumference of the silo until he found an area that the oxygen was sufficient, to call his dad on the cell phone to activate the blower to ventilate the structure. When he got to that safe zone the monitor ceased to alarm.
At Sunrise, we require all workers to have a monitor with them before entering a grain bin to ensure the safety of our employees, and we want to share this message with our producers.
“We have heard about tragedies that have struck because of unclear air,” said Jacob. “Some do not realize that you should have an air monitor with you when entering your silos and we want to share this important safety reminder with all our producers. With the help of the air monitors, we are spreading the message about farm safety and hopefully helping to prevent a tragedy.”
“Technology on the farm can be used for increasing the performance of the products we sell,” stated Mark Roeth, Vice President of Feed at Sunrise. “But more importantly these air monitors help to save the lives of the producers we serve.”