For those new to farming, understanding grain storage is essential to success. Among the most important systems are grain elevators, facilities that store grain in a space-efficient vertical format. The following guide explains what they are and how they can benefit your efforts in agriculture.

What Are They?

Grain elevators are storage facilities consisting of vertical storage silos and an elevator system that lifts the grain into the storage bins. They’re usually positioned near major waterways, railroads, or paved roads to offer easy access to farmers and enable distributors to collect and move produce after it’s stored.

Before the invention of modern grain elevators, grain was typically stored in smaller bags or bins. While these are efficient ways of storing grain for local consumption, they limit the amount of space available to farmers and the quantities of grain available to food producers. Concentrating larger amounts of grain in a single facility simplifies the process of selling and buying grain and helps farmers with efficient storage.

How Are They Used?

After a harvest, farmers load their grain into trucks for transportation to a local grain elevator, where the vehicles are then weighed on a scale. The grain is sampled for quality and moisture content. Corn, wheat, and sorghum that are too wet may lead to mold growth in the bin, while grain that's too dry may age quickly and become unusable. It may be necessary to dry the grain before storage.

Once the grain has been approved for storage, it’s loaded into a series of buckets and deposited into a storage bin. The farmer will be paid the current market rate for their product, and the stored grain will be picked up at a later date by trucks, barges, or trains for transportation to food production sites.

If you’re interested in upscaling your farming operations with a grain elevator, get in touch with Merritt Mechanical-Fabrication in Cairo, GA. This family-owned and -operated agricultural design company offers a wide range of storage and processing equipment, including grain bins and elevators, to farmers throughout the Southeastern United States. Visit their website to learn more about their products, and call (229) 377-5586 with questions.