Fire and Ice

It's a little hard to see, but this firefighter is holding a chunk of ice that is on fire. You can barely make out the small orange flames on the left and top of the ice.

So how can ice catch on fire? When there is propane vapor mixed in with the water. At the firefighter training I attended this week, they were simulating a propane tank fire. The pressurized propane left the tank at a very cold temperature, and when it combined with the water from the fire hoses, ice formed on the open valve of the tank. It was able to sustain a flame because of the incorporated propane vapor.

Ag-Land FS supplied the propane for this exercise in Morton, Ill. and marketing assistant Sue Fehlhafer invited me over to take some pictures. I never thought I'd see burning ice, let alone get to hold a piece. A neat experience, and a great way to support the volunteer fire departments in their communities.

Holthaus Helps the Environment

Eric Holthaus, a senior at the University of Iowa and son of John Holthaus, GROWMARK university relations and member employment specialist, is currently featured as part of the University's "Be Remarkable" campaign. He is a leader of the growing environmental movement on campus.

Click the link below to read the full story:

http://www.uiowa.edu/be-remarkable/index.html

A Giant in Grain

I traveled to the building site of WESTERN GRAIN MARKETING, LLC (WGM) near Macomb, Ill. last week and was amazed at the size of the project. I had seen pictures from various stages of construction, but didn't grasp the full scope until I was able to visit first hand.

To help get a feel for the size of these silos, which each hold 500,000 bushels of corn, look at the small access door at the bottom right. This door is large enough for a skid steer to drive in and out - and in the photo it looks like a toy!

One of the 1.1 million bushel storage bins is complete, and a second one is well underway. Ground work has begun for the third bin as well. I was able to go into the completed bin and the first word out of my mouth was "Wow." My tour guide Warren Odekirk, GROWMARK commercial grain systems manager, laughed and told me that every single person he's brought into that bin had the same one-word reaction.

I was able to put on a hard hat and safety vest and see firsthand the dump pits and conveyor system that will move the grain quickly and efficiently from the farmers' trucks to storage to the 110-car shuttle loader. The facility has clearly been designed for efficiency for all users.

WGM plans to begin accepting corn this fall, and from what I saw on this visit they are making great progress on that goal. I enjoyed visiting with Terry Rouse, Ryan Miller, and Eric Gerard about the project and I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to visit this facility and experience it for yourself.