Drowning in Grain: A Look at the Hidden Dangers of Farming

Drowning in Grain: A Look at the Hidden Dangers of Farming | Short Film Showcase

Рет қаралды 125,153

6 жыл бұрын

Farmers often risk their lives to climb inside silos and break up clumps of grain. Silo: Edge of the Real World profiles farmer Adam Fox and high school student Clay Althoff as they contemplate the risks and rewards of working in this dangerous profession.
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In small farm towns across the United States, workers often venture into silos to loosen crusted or spoiled grain. Occasionally, these clumps give way rapidly and the kernels will flow like quicksand to engulf an individual in seconds. Sadly, only about half of grain entrapment victims survive. Directed by Marshall Burnette, Silo: Edge of the Real World profiles farmer Adam Fox and high school student Clay Althoff as they contemplate the risks and rewards of working in this dangerous profession.
Visit SiloTheFilm.com to learn more about the film.
Follow the film on Facebook and Vimeo: / silothefilm1
vimeo.com/232874740
Marshall Burnette: www.marshallburnette.com/
About National Geographic:
National Geographic is the world's premium destination for science, exploration, and adventure. Through their world-class scientists, photographers, journalists, and filmmakers, Nat Geo gets you closer to the stories that matter and past the edge of what's possible.
Drowning in Grain: A Look at the Hidden Dangers of Farming | Short Film Showcase
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Пікірлер: 184

@TWR_Creations 4 жыл бұрын

Just lost a buddy of mine to a grain bin engulfment the other night... I was a first responder on the scene and helped clean up corn the next day 😔

@anyal.6638 4 жыл бұрын

John Johnsonston I’m so so very sorry sweetheart.

@Outnumberedbykidsandcats 3 жыл бұрын

Sorry for your loss.

@alicat1328 3 жыл бұрын

sorry

@Ttue-wf9vl 3 жыл бұрын

So sorry 😢 dode

@paigeabell-weck1332 3 жыл бұрын

I'm sorry for your buddy....your just like me I lost my buddy this morning playing with my brother

@victoriahesstori 6 жыл бұрын

One of my cousins just died from this. He was basically raised on the farm and loved it and knew all the things you should and shouldn't do, but he still died at 18 from the grain collapsing while he was in there. So so sad. With as many generations back as I know, we have all been farming, but it's sometimes easy to forget how dangerous it really is.

@joletty1793 6 жыл бұрын

Victoria Hess 🙏🏻😢☹️😔

@catfish5272 2 жыл бұрын

I mean…. How did the grain “collapse” on him??

@shela732 Жыл бұрын

@@catfish5272 I’m still learning about this (you probably got an answer already) but I assume it’s when the grain caves/comes down hence collapsing

@frooploop190 6 жыл бұрын

Almost fell in one when I was playing with my brother.I now know what it was and the dangers of it.

@Smt_Glaive 6 жыл бұрын

Precioussssss....my precioussssss

@anyal.6638 4 жыл бұрын

Froop Loop I’m glad you’re alive and safe.

@wellyesbutactuallyno1895 3 жыл бұрын

Glad your safe

@alainsigouin6593 3 жыл бұрын

I'm on a friends KZfaq account. I lost my 8 year old boy in the silo. This video to watch was emotional.

@West_Coast_Mainline 2 жыл бұрын

I am so sorry

@merican64 3 жыл бұрын

As a farmer I guess I never really understood the actual dangers. Dad would stand at the top and basically dive into them and never really worried about anything happening. So watching the movie Silo I didn’t really understand why he couldn’t just climb out.

@Schoolgirl325 6 жыл бұрын

I’m here because I just saw A Quiet Place.

@ncismugerian8993 4 жыл бұрын

Same I was wondering if it was possible to drown in corn.

@aWERFRGT6545BGFG 3 жыл бұрын

I watched the kill count for quiet palce and the dude mentioned dying in grain

@caydenshorter1410 3 жыл бұрын

@@aWERFRGT6545BGFG lmao was it dead meat cause thats why im here too🤣 i love his kill count vids

@siriush100 3 жыл бұрын

Saw it in Jigsaw as well.

@soyiivan 3 жыл бұрын

Same, rewatch of A Quiet Place, after three years, back then forgot I was gonna research this. Now getting ready for part 2 and here I am.

@RAYMONDFORCHIONFILM 6 жыл бұрын

A fine portrait of the lives that help feed America and the world... and a danger the rest of us never think about. Godspeed, Ray

@Amanda-bg7ib 3 жыл бұрын

I'm wondering if can we install a microphone and system where if you shout a word like "call" it will contact the fire dept (or others) through a radio or a cell phone? Another idea is to install a voice activated trap door, letting the grain out. To help people who were caught by the augers, why can't we have a wristband with a button that stops the augers from moving, it seems like a simple device to make. If not a wristband, we could install the button on a commonly used tool. We could even make it voice activated too. So if someone yells "help"/"stop" the auger will turn off. Would any devices like these be useful? Or is the issue mostly that people suffocating from the pressures of the grain and help cannot arrive fast enough? As a engineering student from a city, (who knows nothing about farms and is learning how to build devices like these) I feel like there has to be some better tools/systems/devices that farmers can use to help mitigate accidents

@MadamFoogie 5 жыл бұрын

My cousin died this way back in the 80's.

@GiDD504 3 жыл бұрын

I grew up on a horse ranch, we had just got a new oat bin that took an entire semi to fill. I had a friend over and showed him how it works and I opened the bottom latch but the handle came out of its slot. Long story short we spent the next 2 days picking up oats into chicken feed bags. It could have been a lot worse because we were thinking of climbing onto the roof of my barn to jump in; so I am grateful we didn’t. I was 7 lol

@kamdaddypurp3341 4 жыл бұрын

Someone in my town died yesterday from falling in their silo

@Neo2266. 4 жыл бұрын

Was it a honey silo?

@ibreathenapalm1112 6 жыл бұрын

This is the first time hearing "killer corn" on national geographic.

@rebeccaluis1223 6 жыл бұрын

Samovar The Russian Water Boiler so qwick corn

@Stopstaring101 6 жыл бұрын

Be careful out there guys 😘!!! Stay aware ALWAYS... it's not gonna happen to you BECAUSE you will remain focused on safety and risk. We respect you and your industry 💪🏼 Peace be with all of the AWESOME farmers and all of the hard workers who help keep them running 🏆 Blessings and Cheers 🍻

@MTFOphantom 6 жыл бұрын

Ive singlehandedly cleaned out an entire grain bin back when I was only 15. It was good work. But my lungs hurt for weeks afterwards (and I was wearing a mask)

@nicholasfry8695 3 жыл бұрын

Yah I told my dad I was gonna do it (I’m only 13) and I just used common sense

@bigbods5226 2 жыл бұрын

You got grain poisoning.

@deepspacekunal5468 6 жыл бұрын

Very strange, security measures must be taken for these farmers. In India hundreds and hundreds of our poor farmers commit suicide each year due to deep poverty, high debts and hunger.

@philtripe 6 жыл бұрын

i have heard of this...unscrupulous seed companies make loans to these people at such a rate that can never be paid back

@elizaray9178 5 жыл бұрын

Great information!! Thanks for sharing this informative video!! Excessive moisture and high temperatures can occur when the bin temperature is not accurately monitored, which results in damaging the condition of your grain. Though for all my Grain Hazard Monitoring needs I trust Interface Automation. Thanks!!

@TheDuckumz 6 жыл бұрын

Wouldnt putting an electric winch at the top and having the guy run it on a harness with a wireless controller or even wired solve this? Just have him extend a little each time he has to go lower. Then if he got sucked down he could just winch his way out...

@ChefRafi 6 жыл бұрын

Long live our farmers!! Agbiag dagiti mannalontayo!! 😊👍

@victorymansions 4 жыл бұрын

Maybe some kind of telescopic tube, snorkel kinda thing could help? Not sure if the weight would be too intense to move and raise it up or anything. I was thinking of quick release lower panels that let's it all spill out straight away? Also some people on here have been mentioning a harness clipped to the ceiling. Very practical idea that. Especially if it had a winch on it to raise you up, yknow?

@allanwright5231 5 жыл бұрын

Very informative short film

@tomulator 6 жыл бұрын

Why don’t they have a harness system that suspends them from the top so they can’t be entrained into the corn if something happened?

@TheDankEngineer 4 жыл бұрын

They do. Entrapment only happens when someone refuses to do so

@Epicgye 4 жыл бұрын

money is why they don't have them

@cedarparkwayfarm 3 жыл бұрын

Happened this morning in Cambria WI. May his soul be at peace!

@nicholasfry8695 3 жыл бұрын

I’m only a kid I help clean the bins with my dad I’d say it’s because we don’t want to spend the money on something like that and when careful around it they are pretty safe I mean the center auger has a guard and you should never stand in front of the auger that goes around the bin, so if you stay behind that and be careful you should be fine

@GiDD504 3 жыл бұрын

Nicholas Fry Complacency is when accidents happen. Please be safe little guy. I hope you never have to be in such a situation.

@KamiInValhalla 6 жыл бұрын

Give them walkie talkies and harnesses and I am pretty sure we will see less accidents.

@stevelubin6533 6 жыл бұрын

Wow! Very informative video. One of the best that I have seen. Thanks to all of the farmers in our country. Mad respect.

@NatGeo 6 жыл бұрын

We're so glad you enjoyed and found the video informative!

@j.w.r3730 6 жыл бұрын

I wish their was a system...as easy as putting on a climbing harness. With a lifeline and a control,so the second things go south,you just push a button on your chest. And up you go like Spiderman and out of the grain. And it pulls you to the top,or however high you need to be to get out of the entrapment. Like,lightning fast,and with a 1000 lb. cable on the harness... Sounds crazy,but you see where I'm going,a safety line so you don't get sucked in,buried,ect.... Pulls you out faster than you can get buried,or entrapped... What a horrible way to go,never will I eat anything with any less respect for those who paid so dearly so I can have cornflakes for breakfast.

@Smil7001 3 жыл бұрын

Cornflakes are unhealthy

@highonimmi Жыл бұрын

The problem is once the grain gets to your knees it’s very, very difficult to just pull you out. The force on the human body is unreal. You may be able to pull them out if the grain movement is stopped. The problem is the seconds it takes for an emergency egress system to sense the emergency then act the grain is already on top of the person. The weight is wyyyyy too much for even someone with a breathing apparatus to last for too long. Some have last hours, however, they are severely damaged…..there are better designs of silo that address the problems of this and other issues with grain storage. Sadly, it costs too much to replace current grain silos.

@leroygumede5579 5 жыл бұрын

Who's here after watch A Quite place 2018

@caydenshorter1410 3 жыл бұрын

Me 😂

@spyralam1237 3 жыл бұрын

Me 🤣

@polomare2027 6 жыл бұрын

Safety winch? Harness? Remote control? Or maybe wear a breathing apparatus every time you go in there?

@kittypewpew 5 жыл бұрын

Its not just suffocation, it also crushes you.

@daltonbratton7259 4 жыл бұрын

kittypewpew to add to that, that stuff is expensive

@Neo2266. 4 жыл бұрын

Safety harness is the best option Or just have a ladder in the middle and on the sides so you can always reach it, smh

@calebdilbeck3317 4 жыл бұрын

Neo2266 no. when that gain is about up to your knees there is no moving towards a ladder you are STUCK

@Neo2266. 4 жыл бұрын

@@calebdilbeck3317 you don't only move by using your legs do you realize that? you can flop around, lie down, roll... If you position the ladders so they're always within reach, then only an idiot would drown in corn

@sandysmith3597 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Des.

@holdmybeer 6 жыл бұрын

Building farm equipment is dangerous too. Almost lost a finger a couple times, inches from skull being crushed by improperly hung jig, and careless idiot forklift drivers.

@lynzblk Жыл бұрын

On average 20 people per year (19.93 to be exact) have died in silo accidents* since 1964 *for those of u wondering about the math for # of deaths from silo accidents since 1964 from the statistic at the end

@Amanda-bg7ib 3 жыл бұрын

To help people who were caught by the augers, why can't we have a wristband with a button that stops the augers from moving, it seems like a simple device to make. We could even make it voice automated too. So if someone yells "help"/"stop" the auger will turn off. Or can we install a microphone and system where if you shout "call" it will contact someone through a radio or a cell phone? Would this any device like this be useful or is the issue mostly that people suffocating from the pressures of the grain?

@ravenn8600 2 жыл бұрын

you know grain imply pressure to the chest and lungs ?

@West_Coast_Mainline 2 жыл бұрын

Grain presses in the chest, also money

@travis2858 4 жыл бұрын

Just watched this video am a grain operator at a mill we are never aloud to do top entry because of the reasons in this video to everyone farmers and other grain operators please avoid top entry

@gymzilla12 3 жыл бұрын

Couldn’t they wear a safety harness or build a pole all the way to the top that they could grab onto? Sorry if that’s stupid, I’m not a farmer. Just curious

@alicat1328 3 жыл бұрын

The Dressmaker had grain engulfment scene - tragic! Funny though they had the guy on a dare jump in and be just fine on top of wheat but later he drowned jumping in a silo of sorghum? Can a person stay on top of wheat kernels?

@kpat7943 6 жыл бұрын

That must be heartbreaking.

@jdrmurphy4141 6 жыл бұрын

Just a little question. Why are they getting inside the bin while there is grain inside??? To clear the edges of grain that didn't funnel out?? I'm sure there is a better way than having to get inside with your shovel.

@simonrichard9873 5 жыл бұрын

To monitor moisture

@nicholasfry8695 3 жыл бұрын

We have to get in with a shovel to clean them out and if grain gets stuck up we have to get in and push it down, so no there is not better practical way

@waltpagan 6 жыл бұрын

psshhhh i got my first job when i was in 3rd grade, i know the feels

@utubenagarjuna9 4 жыл бұрын

Can we have a mesh at the bottomthat allows only grains and not more than 10 inch

@nicholasfry8695 3 жыл бұрын

Sadly no because the people have to get on the bottom to clean it out but some wagons have that it’s a good idea

@DeeSee25 Жыл бұрын

5:27 terrifying sound

@onyshaboak3797 6 жыл бұрын

Beautiful video, needs subs though

@NatGeo 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your feedback!

@jonnda 4 жыл бұрын

I don’t know what “A Quiet Place” refers to, and saw this anyways.

@Playerz714 10 ай бұрын

They should use sos transmitters or some type of remote to stop period

@shadfurman 6 жыл бұрын

Isn't the obvious solution a safety harness? They're relatively cheap. They might not help in every accident, but certainly a lot.

@xXWOAT13Xx 4 жыл бұрын

these accidents happen to the few who don’t wear them

@nicholasfry8695 3 жыл бұрын

With some safety practices such as a walk-in talkie and just being careful these kinds of things are preventable, harnesses may seam cheap but if you have to have one in every bin it would add up quick but yah they would be good

@nicholasfry8695 3 жыл бұрын

@@xXWOAT13Xx I would have to disagree I’ve never seen a person wear a harness in a grain bin

@tayonelovemarie420 6 жыл бұрын

Love this video

@NatGeo 6 жыл бұрын

We're happy to hear it! For more Short Film Showcase, click here: bit.ly/2xiGYgz

@bradleysmith9431 3 жыл бұрын

@2:20 what's he saying, he grew tobacco and striped bacco??

@bigbeeves 2 жыл бұрын

Wouldn’t literally a harness with a watch/anklet that monitors pressure help? The grain presses the button and then a machine would hoist them up out of the bin with the harness?

@countrylife04 6 жыл бұрын

every job has its own danger

@rebeccaluis1223 6 жыл бұрын

The Young Turds lol

@Neo2266. 4 жыл бұрын

No not really, tell me the dangers of any office job

@countrylife04 4 жыл бұрын

@@Neo2266. earthquake, fire, stress etc.

@teslacybertruck750 10 ай бұрын

Just take a minute to visualize how sad a death like this would be, all you see is pitch black and the heat would be insane..

@sadmansakibtazwar737 10 ай бұрын

Why dont they just use leg cuffs or body ropes where one end attached to leg and the other end of rope connected to top of the chamber so if ther fall the rope will feel shock and it will send SOS. Also they will be able to use the rope to get out of Silo.

@TheEarthwinders 6 жыл бұрын

I'm not clear on how or why these accidents happen. Why would someone be in a grain silo when it's being drained from the bottom? What were they trying to demonstrate in the opening scene with the plastic sheets pounded in?

@ruivam 6 жыл бұрын

My thoughts exactly. I can't figure out why people enter in silos while they're being drained.

@projectxspectre 6 жыл бұрын

A lot of grain can get stuck to the side of the silo due to moisture. Peiple go in the silo to remove the grain that's stuck. That's when they sink into the grain and suffocate.

@ruivam 6 жыл бұрын

Milton Cabrera but they just sink because they go in there while it's being drained or they wouldn't sink otherwise, right? Question is, why they don't clean the silo when it isn't being drained? Why there is no communication among the workers inside the silo and the ones down there at all?

@projectxspectre 6 жыл бұрын

Laura Squeff That's what I ask myself. They must be doing something that is non farmers don't know.

@Ktulu789 6 жыл бұрын

I think the fact is: A silos are really big, bigger than we think. B Silos are drained fast, tons per second fast. C Silos always get stuck. So There is a real need for someone to be inside while they are being drained. Then if you are just entering and grain that is stuck on a side just falls off over you, you can't breath under that load. Imagine hundreds of kg over your chest. You don't even yell, you have no air to do it. I thought of a harness but I think that even having a harness to hang in safety would be useless against that, and having someone checking on you wouldn't be fast enough to save you. I don't know a thing about silos but this is just simple common sense and by what the video shows.

@willypete8155 10 ай бұрын

Thank you farmers.

@benny0507 10 ай бұрын

Why not wear a harness? Tie yourself to the top

@brent9393 3 жыл бұрын

Not to be technical ted but these are grain bins, silos are completely different, different risks and dangers.

@Hazel-rah 6 жыл бұрын

If we don't deal with us, Mother Nature will.

@tommyrichtsmeier2547 3 жыл бұрын

It’s a grain BIN not a silo

@angelajohnson6659 3 жыл бұрын

My fiancée s grandfather turned over his tractor and it almost killed him.

@iamconstantlyhungry 6 жыл бұрын

what the hell..!?we we gonnah eat what?

@angelesimoneau2435 3 жыл бұрын

poor document......no resolution proposed or remedies proposed, laws etc

@jamesgreen9755 4 жыл бұрын

How is a grain silo dangerous

@nickfurnell 4 жыл бұрын

There’s no oxygen in there

@nicholasfry8695 3 жыл бұрын

Did you watch the video?

@maxhallman1036 2 жыл бұрын

No oxygen, crush, drowning etc.

@DavidBenson2 3 жыл бұрын

“The Dressmaker” brought me here😒

@DeepThinker193 5 жыл бұрын

You mean You can't diveinto grain like Scrooge McDuck. Glad I saw this before killing myself.

@jakubyakub 10 ай бұрын

Jeez according to the comments on all these grain silo video comment threads. 1 in 10 people know someone who died this way. 😂 Must be Monsanto hiding the truth *sarcasm*

@jamesholden9540 2 жыл бұрын

I'm here cause of Dexter

@dollarama5142 6 жыл бұрын

I can't imagine myself drowning in cereal

@michaellim4165 2 жыл бұрын

Life in not like Scrooge McDuck

@izdotcarter 5 ай бұрын

Corn is dumb anyway

@Rustyshackleford. Жыл бұрын

This is why I always carry a microwave.

@lizstapelberg1862 2 жыл бұрын

We need to be vigilant and keep our eyes open stay safe, use wisdom and trust God 🙏

@dwightross1694 10 ай бұрын

I’m not gone lie if I was studying agriculture this would’ve made me drop out.

@jokerbookshop 6 жыл бұрын

So basically these farmers need to be more careful at the job site.

@maxhallman1036 2 жыл бұрын

You can be careful and still die you know why? Grain will crush you even if you don't go down into the grain

@jokerbookshop 2 жыл бұрын

@@maxhallman1036 yes grain can be dangerous and so can alfalfa.

@tugdornink6266 5 жыл бұрын

It’s grain bins not silos 😂😂

@Neo2266. 4 жыл бұрын

It's Silos not bins

@n593nw5 3 жыл бұрын

No it’s a grain bin. Silos are made from cement blocks with metal bands around them

@tugdornink6266 3 жыл бұрын

@@n593nw5 thank you 😭😂

@nicholasfry8695 3 жыл бұрын

@@Neo2266. a silo is tall and skinny and usually store silage, ground corn, a grain bin is short and fat and stores grain

@kuroikenshi3735 6 жыл бұрын

They should pretend they're climbing and scubadiving at the same time.

@tomulator 6 жыл бұрын

Kuroi Kenshi oxygen tanks and masks would be a good idea too...do they do that??

@simonrichard9873 5 жыл бұрын

@@tomulator Imagine what it would cost and the hassle every time you go in there

@tomulator 5 жыл бұрын

Simon Richard you only get one shot if something happens...🤷🏻‍♂️

@maxhallman1036 2 жыл бұрын

@@tomulator oxygen won't do much when your getting crushed

@dropkickirish4449 3 жыл бұрын

You’d have to be an absolute derelict to die this way. Corn? You died in corn? Was there a corn tornado? Maybe a rogue corn tsunami? No, just a big pile of corn kernels we put in this one spot... and then we died in it. 🥴

@West_Coast_Mainline 2 жыл бұрын

What seems inconspicuous is often the most damgerous