Iowa State Bank

WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN?

Along with big red barns and windmills, silos are one of the iconic physical structures identified with the American farm.

Windmills were the first of these three structures to face their demise. Then big red barns began disappearing despite the strong sentiment attached to them. Fortunately, there are diehard preservationists saving a share of those barns, despite the hefty price tag. Silos were the last of the three to rise on the farm skyline. Will they be the next iconic structure to come down? Silo pits for grain storage date to the 8th century BC in Greece and to 5000 BC in the Middle East. In Turkey and Persia, insurance agents bought wheat and barley when it was inexpensive and stored it in hidden pits for times of scarcity. The first modern upright silo was invented and built in 1873 by Fred Hatch of McHenry County, Illinois. The United States Department of Agriculture says there were only 91 silos in the United States in 1882. By 1895, there were more than 50,000 silos across the country, and by 1903, there were an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 silos dotting the landscape. Silos were especially important in the development of the dairy industry because of the ability to store highquality green feeds. “For the dairy herd it is difficult to find its equal,” one Iowa farmer in the early 1900s said about silage. When he was having work done on his farm and the cows had to make do without silage, the farmer said the cows’ milk production dropped by a third. Also in the early 1900s, Iowa State College was experimenting with what they called the “Iowa Silo.” The average cost of a 16x35-foot silo with a concrete roof was between $300 and $350.

The walls of the Iowa Silo were specially designed “hollow, hard-burned” tiles, furnished by several Iowa manufacturers. The blocks were laid horizontally around the silo, and the joints were laid in cement mortar. Steel wire was laid between the courses of tiles for reinforcement.

Developers of the Iowa Silo claimed it would last for generations with few repairs. They said it was “indestructible.” Prior to this time, silos were made of wood. Because the wood deteriorated, curved concrete blocks were introduced in 1900.

A Rock Valley farm was home to the fourth ”Iowa Silo” monitored by Iowa State College. Note the chart documenting the costs of the structure. All photos and graphics are from Iowa State University except when noted.

Construction and completion of the “Iowa Silo” developed by the team at Iowa State College.