For as long as we have been harvesting grain, we have needed somewhere to store it. Through the trial and errors of those in the past, we now know today some of the most important features that must be present in quality grain storage.
It is important your grain storage is dry and aerated. It should be raised off the ground and protected from the elements.
These features seem pretty simple, but took decades to master as farmers learned best practices of grain storage over time. Let’s look at how we got to where we are today.
The History of Grain Storage
Food preservation is one of the main things that first allowed towns, cities, and communities to be established and grow. The earliest forms of grain storage included baskets, jars, and sacks. Of course, this did not allow for large quantities of grain to be stored and was not sustainable for larger communities.
Hunter and gatherer communities used to create separate store houses where they would pile their grain. These storehouses, however, usually were exposed to open air and susceptible to pests, bacteria, and a lot of moisture.
Egypt is believed to have been the site of one of the first silos used for grain storage. It used a raised bed and had a slight incline to allow for drainage.
In America, an Illinois farmer is credited with utilizing the first silo in 1873 trying to figure out how to store grain and avoid spoilage. From there the evolution of the silo has continued. From early square silos dug in the ground and lined with rocks and straw for drainage to closer to what we see today. Rounded silos.
The rounded silos of today started out as brick or cement and have now evolved into the cost efficient, durable, and safe steel silos (or bins) that are standard today.
Why Grain Storage?
If you are unfamiliar with grain storage or maybe you have seen these giant grain storage facilities driving through country roads, you may wonder why farmers need them.
Grain storage allows farmers to keep their crop throughout the season, use it to feed cattle, and hold onto their crop until they can sell it at the best possible market price.
Since the beginning of farming, grain storage has been a necessity. Now that farmers around the world have mastered the best practices of grain storage, what’s next?
More Farming Innovation to Come
How you manage your grain production, harvesting, loading, unloading, and storage is what’s next. Farm management software is the next wave in innovating how we, as farmers, store and manage our crops.
PIPE AG has created software that allows you to track and manage your harvesting process from grain trucks, weights, locations, to digital dump tickets. Join us today in the next wave of farming innovation that’s not just about where you store your harvest but all about how you do it!