Grain Journal - July/August 2008 - (Page 109) Temporary Storage 2005 HURRICANE EXPERIENCE LEADS ARKANSAS GRAIN HANDLE TO TEMPORARY PILES THIRD IN A SERIES The educational program at GEAPS Exchange 2008 in February in Omaha, NE included a panel of three grain elevator managers discussing how they manage temporary storage piles. This third in a series of articles excerpts remarks by Justin Towery, assistant manager at Bayou Grain & Chemical Co., Parkdale, AR (870-473-2281). As the crop acreage mix has changed rapidly across the nation, elevators have been forced to adapt to the needs of their customers. The advent of increasing corn acreage in the South has caused the need for more storage and drying capacity, The Bayou Grain & Chemical Corp. grain elevator at Parkdale, AR as it appeared in 2006, with a new 400,000-bushel temporary storage pile in foreground. Photos by Ed Zdrojewski. “The advent of increasing corn acreage in the South has caused the need for more storage and drying capacity, as well as placing more burden on transportation and infrastructure facilities to handle a greater number of bushels in a short amount of time.” -Justin Towery, Bayou Grain & Chemical Corp. Bayou Grain & Chemical stored approximately 250,000 bushels of corn on the ground uncovered in 2005 out of necessity. Hurricanes had stopped the flow of traffic up and down the Mississippi River, and more storms were coming. There was nowhere to go with the grain that so desperately needed to be harvested, so we made a pile with a Compton Slinger that we had been using for many years to fill flat storage space. Luckily, we were able to retrieve this grain quickly and did not suffer considerable shrinkage. But this experience did shift our thoughts to safer ways to store grain on the ground temporarily. Temporary Storage Solution We contacted Union Iron Works (Decatur, IL/800-333-5148) the following spring about their Temp-Stor products. Another big corn crop was on the way, and bins were in short supply. Union Iron gave us a quote on a 410,000-bushel “pod” that would fit our needs, and we then rented 2.5 acres of land that was directly north of our elevator. The system that we chose was made of 4-foot-x-10-foot perforated steel panels, with folding support legs and wooden headboards. The dimensions of the pod when constructed were 120 feet by 300 feet and included three 7.5-hp axial fans and aeration tubing, as well as a poly tarp to cover the pile. Aeration was rated at 1/10 cfm per bushel. Total cost of the system was approximately $75,000 or 21 cents per bushel. This space was placed on our federal license as temporary storage. We liked the scalability of the system and the ability to expand using previously purchased components. Estimated lifespan of the sidewalls is 20-plus years. Construction and First Fill We prepared the land by disking several times, then harrowing, incorporating herbicide, land planing, and packing with a roller. The land that we rented was precision-leveled, sandy loam soil, so it was relatively easy to till and compact. After packing the soil, we irrigated it heavily to ensure that it was fully compacted. We then marked the location of the walls, had lime applied to the entire area 1/4 inch deep, and constructed a roadbed of clay gravel topped with SB/2 gravel that ran parallel with the pod. Once the sidewalls arrived, it took two days to construct the pod. Aeration tubing was laid before the sidewalls were erected, and fans were J/A GJ 109 as well as placing more bushels on transportation and infrastructure facilities to handle a greater number of bushels in a short amount of time. With the cost of steel rising, along with all of the other costs of building permanent storage, temporary ground storage has become a viable alternative to traditional tanks.
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