Post-harvest 2022, we started talking with a grain system company about upgrades and changes we needed to make to our corn facility.

That December we placed an order and asked to be added to the list. In the beginning of January, we firmed up final plans. And, yet, despite taking delivery of the new overhead hopper bin in the spring, the project didn’t happen. By the time the company physically had backordered parts, it was August. For us, that felt too close to harvest to take things apart and hope to get them put back together in time to store our grain. We decided to push the project to this year. To get us through harvest 2023, the company came out and completed necessary maintenance.

Honestly, it is probably a good thing that we delayed the upgrade to our grain facility.

We had all fall to watch how we used the facility and evaluate the impact of proposed changes. Having a bunch of wet corn and both wet bins full at one point, we identified some issues with the plan. Instead of eliminating a dedicated ‘wet corn’ leg and using the ‘big’ leg to both dump trucks and fill the dryer, we decided it would be better to refurbish and relocate the ‘wet’ leg.

This week the phone call came. The company was ready to start work on replacing the 40-year-old hopper bin with the new one. The crew chief came out to discuss changes to the plan. We also discussed who will do what work. They are still really busy and we appreciate that they will still be able to do the work with the changes.

I think we have a good plan. We’re making a step in the right direction to keep our facility running for years into the future. We should see some steel flying very soon!