Smart Storage

By: Laurie Bedord

Systems that monitor and remove heat, moisture, and odors or unhealthy air in livestock housing and replace them with cooler, fresh outside air are necessary for livestock productivity. Wisconsin farmer Andy Bensend believes the same is true for stored grain.

“Most farmers understand what it means to have a million dollars’ worth of livestock in a barn. Whether it’s pigs, beef, or dairy, they ensure that facility has the proper ventilation to keep animals out of harm’s way,” Bensend says. “In a typical year, I store around $4 million worth of grain in several bins. Like livestock, that grain is too valuable an asset not to have safeguards in place to protect it.”