Crews are installing a new grain bin, the 10th standing tall on the Lesch Farm in Chautauqua County.

Many are able to hold tens of thousands of bushels of grain, generated from more than 2,200 acres of row crops.

"The grain can be very dangerous," said Jacob Lesch, a third-generation farmer at Lesch Farms. "It doesn't look like it. But when they're full of grain there's a lot of outward pressure on this metal as well as inward pressure on the grain itself."

What You Need To Know

  •  Chautauqua County is the latest to have purchased life-saving grain bin rescue gear

  •  Grain bin accidents and fatalities have been well documented in the state

  • There are also more than 30 other states nationwide that have the equipment

Which is why it's important for farmers to stay out of the bins when they're full, as they can collect moisture and provide a false floor. 

"And if you get stuck in the bin, you would not be able to move. And that is what the rescue equipment is handy for," said Lesch.

Now in the hands of trained county rescue teams, the equipment is made up of metal panels designed to form a protective wall around whoever's trapped in the bin, together with what's called an auger to remove the grain and set the person free. 

There have been multiple grain bin fatalities across the state over the last several years.

"It just doesn't affect one farmer," said Steve Bourgeois, special operations coordinator at the Chautauqua County Tech Rescue Team. "It affects the whole community, a small town. [It's] something that I think is very needed to help the farmers out. It's something that you usually don't have."

The funding is made possible through a grant from Nationwide Insurance and the local farm bureau, to help respond to an accident. 

"You always want to be prepared to deal with it," said Jim Joy, vice president of the Chautauqua County Farm Bureau. "And having the equipment now is just for exactly that, rescue purposes. We don't want to have a situation that's going to be a recovery."

Neither does Lesch, who says he's equally thankful for the life-saving equipment, he hopes will never have to be used,

"It's kind of a peace of mind," he said. "[It would] probably save our life if something were to happen."

Nationally, there were 24 fatalities in 83 grain bin-related incidents in 2022.

This was an increase of almost 41% from 2021.