Silage
For those that do not know, silage is chopped up wet corn, stalks leaves and all. It's blown in a silo where it goes through a fermenting process it is then fed to cattle. Some think it smell rank. I guess it's an acquired smell, but I do enjoy the smell.
Today I put the silo unloader together for Dad. At 65 he's getting too old and worn out to climb the 60 foot and assemble the unloader at the top of the silo. In any case, the top dries out and turns moldy. It has to be blown out and discarded. While it was running at startup I stayed up there to make sure it doesn't plug and bury the drive wheels. I inhaled too much mold and it's screwed me up. Cold, aches, cough when I take a deep breath.
It's funny how you do things on a farm that you would never dream of doing in a workplace. At work, this would be considered a Permit Required Confined Space with a high dust hazard and a failure to lockout equipment. (I was in the silo while the unloader's augers and blower is running.) There is the high hazard of getting a pant leg in the augers or blower. Yet, we do these things anyway.
Called in sick for work tonight. Told them the mold will probably work itself out of my system. Unless I start coughing up blood, I'll be fine tomorrow, but tonight I feel like crap.
I still think good "fresh" silage smell great.
Today I put the silo unloader together for Dad. At 65 he's getting too old and worn out to climb the 60 foot and assemble the unloader at the top of the silo. In any case, the top dries out and turns moldy. It has to be blown out and discarded. While it was running at startup I stayed up there to make sure it doesn't plug and bury the drive wheels. I inhaled too much mold and it's screwed me up. Cold, aches, cough when I take a deep breath.
It's funny how you do things on a farm that you would never dream of doing in a workplace. At work, this would be considered a Permit Required Confined Space with a high dust hazard and a failure to lockout equipment. (I was in the silo while the unloader's augers and blower is running.) There is the high hazard of getting a pant leg in the augers or blower. Yet, we do these things anyway.
Called in sick for work tonight. Told them the mold will probably work itself out of my system. Unless I start coughing up blood, I'll be fine tomorrow, but tonight I feel like crap.
I still think good "fresh" silage smell great.
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You sure are right about doing things at home that I would never think of doing at work. Kind of like a double standard, isn't it?
Hope you get to feeling better though.0 -
Still lots of silage put up around here every year.
Silos and silage pits are a great place to find coon when the weather gets cold.0 -
quote:Originally posted by Warpig883
Still lots of silage put up around here every year.
Silos and silage pits are a great place to find coon when the weather gets cold.
Yeah, we had a problem with them climbing the chute and nesting in the blades of the blower. Plugs the blower and kills the coons immediately. Then I would have to climb the silo and drag the crushed corpse out. PITA.0 -
I've seen enough of my buddies get chopped/cut/burnt, and me too. we get safety bulletins at work about serious accidents, sometimes fatal. I pay attention to that stuff. safety first! 0 -
Captplaid, I grew up on a farm and did the same thing every year. Fill the silo and then assemble the unloader. After I left the farm I learned of a dease from the mold in silo's called farmers lung. It is like black lung that coal miners have. The mold will not work its way out of your body, it will stay in your lungs because it is moist and will stay with you for years. I have had many of my farmer friends die from farmers lung. Go to your doctor now! Tell him what you did in the silo and the mold and he will get you on the right meds. The medication will help, but will not totally get rid of the mold in your lungs, it will stay with you the rest of your life. Most doctors in farming areas know farmers lung dease, but if he doesn't, have him research it for you to get you on the right meds. I'm telling you this from someone who has lost many good friends from doing the same things that you and I have done for years in silo's. Go to the doctor on Mon. !!!! 0 -
I got a toxic dose of grain mold almost 40 years ago that is still a problem. If I get exposed to similar mold or barn dust it flairs up. I can't be inside a hog confinement building (as if I'd voluntarily do that anyway). I'm also very prone to contracting pneumonia. Grain mold is serious stuff. Yes, doing all those things is the reason farming is one of the most dangerous occupations. When the job has to be done and you're the one who has to do it you skip the safety issues and sometimes you get in trouble. 0 -
if it were a horse or cattle, you'd be done for.(collic).think ya self lucky... hope ya mend easy..[;)]
try a scotch!![:p]0 -
quote:Originally posted by mond
if it were a horse or cattle, you'd be done for.(collic).think ya self lucky... hope ya mend easy..[;)]
try a scotch!![:p]
Horses don't get colic from mold dust, the get heaves.
Got Guns?0 -
take good care, that dust can be pretty explosive too. 0 -
...After 30+ years at a grain elevator, I've inhaled enough stuff to kill me ten times over. Here's a link to info about one of the nasty ones. If you've dealt in the business, you're probably already aware of aspergillus flavus and aflatoxin.
http://www.aspergillusflavus.org/0 -
Oddly enough I always liked the smell of fresh silage also. Lucky for me our unloaders were always assembled, all we had to do was lower and raise them. The biggest pain in the ass was moving down a door though, talk about unsafe. There you are resting your body in the drop tube trying to hold on and remove the door at the same time and then get poop all over you when the door comes off. 0 -
buddy of mine died filling silo,got up the shoot and got gassed.passed out before anyone found him it was to late...BE CARFUL 0 -
quote:Originally posted by shoff14
Oddly enough I always liked the smell of fresh silage also. Lucky for me our unloaders were always assembled, all we had to do was lower and raise them. The biggest pain in the ass was moving down a door though, talk about unsafe. There you are resting your body in the drop tube trying to hold on and remove the door at the same time and then get poop all over you when the door comes off.
The one I hate the most is climbing up the outside of the 60 foot silo to adjust the gooseneck spout when filling the silo. Yeah, the last 30 feet has a safety cage, but when I get to the top I have to climb up and stand on top of the silo's wall, stand on my toes and reach as high as I can to turn a nut on a threaded rod. The only thing I have to hang on to is a 3/4 inch conduit that runs around the middle of the aluminum dome. That pipe wouldn't hold squat if I slipped, but that's all that is there. I'm 60 foot in the air and standing on a 4 inch thick cement wall.
A lot of times I will loop my belt around the pipe and where tennis shoes to give me a better footing.0
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