Silos
Wood Silo
Silos, like haylofts, store harvested forage crops near barns or in feedlots throughout Minnesota. Chopped green crops, usually corn, are loaded through an opening in the top of the silo and allowed to ferment. The first silos, built in 1870s, were constructed of wood. One type, the wood hoop silo, has a thin wood band wrapped horizontally and nailed to the wall framing.
Few wood silos have survived.
Old Barn and Wood Stave Silo is a photograph by Randy Rosenberger
Masonry Silos
Concrete and tile silos became popular after the turn of the century. Several Minnesota companies still build concrete tongue-and-grove stave silos, held together by steel bands. Decorative, checkered patterns at the top indicate the manufacturer. Block silos were built of solid concreted or hollow tile block. Frequently seen A.C.O. silos were constructed of the block manufactured by the A.C. Ochs Brick and Tile Company of Springfield, Minnesota.
Smooth, monolithic silos were built by pouring concreted into wood forms, which were later removed.
Glass-lined Silo
Colorful, glass-lined steel silos were introduced to dairy farms and cattle feedlots in 1947. The dark blue Harvestore, light blue Sealstore, and dark green Cropstore silos are virtually airtight and store silage better than earlier silos. The storage systems (Harvestore ads proclaim, “ This is not a silo”) preserve high-moisture corn as well as sorn and alfalfa silage. Improvements in silo technology allow mor efficient use of forage crops and increase livestock production for each acre of cropland.
Bunker Silo
Horizontal bunker silos, covered with black plastic sheets weighed down with tractor tires, mark a change from the vertical, cylindrical silo. Low concrete walls, either above the ground or lining a trench, form a three-sided enclosure. Loaded from the open side with a tractor-mounted scoop, such silos are cheap and easy to use, but the silage spoils quickly. They are usually found on feedlot operations where rapid use allows the silage to be consumed before it spoils.
