The safety and well-being of our customers and our communities has been the cornerstone of everything Grinnell Mutual has done for over a century. A big part of that is the commitment to ongoing safety education. And that’s why Grinnell Mutual invested in the opportunity to partner with SILO The Film, a feature film about the tragedy and community impact of grain-bin entrapments.

Inspired by true events, SILO follows a harrowing day in a rural American farm community. Disaster strikes when teenager Cody Rose becomes the victim of a grain entrapment accident. Family, neighbors, and first responders must put aside their differences to rescue him from drowning in the 50-foot-tall silo where corn quickly turns to quicksand. The only movie of its kind, SILO sheds light on an issue plaguing rural America, and shows how dangerous modern farming can be, while also highlighting the ways in which members of communities band together to look after one another. 

Grinnell Mutual was grateful to work with the producers of SILO to bring movie screenings to communities and raise awareness of the dangers of farming. Grain-bin entrapments are entirely preventable, but the number of incidents rises nearly every year, according to according to Purdue University (purdue.edu). The fatality rate of children involved in entrapments is estimated to be a staggering 70 percent. This is unacceptable. By continuing to collaborate with SILO producers and educate the agricultural community on safe grain handling, tragedy can be avoided.

As of the end of 2021, the Purdue (University’s) Agricultural Confined Space Incident Database (PACSID) documented information on 2,240 cases between 1962 and 2021 that resulted in an injury, fatality, or required emergency extrication by first responders. Grain storage and handling facilities and/or grain transport vehicles were involved in the overwhelming majority of cases and 1,331 cases (59%) were fatal.  In 2021, there were 29 grain entrapments reported, including 11 fatalities. Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota led the nation in entrapments. That number rose to a staggering 42 documented cases in 2022, a nearly 45% increase over 2021. According to Purdue University’s Ag Safety and Health Program, 30 percent of grain entrapment incidents go unreported annually.

Source: https://engineering.purdue.edu/ABE/extension/AgSafetyHealth

A portion of the proceeds from SILO support the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, the Progressive Agriculture Foundation, and the John Bowne Agricultural Program. https://www.silothefilm.com/