American Agriculture History Minute: Grain Silos Developed

I’m Mark Oppold with an American Agriculture History Minute.

In 1873, Fred Hatch, a farmer from Illinois, built what is believed to be America’s first variation of the modern silo, trying to figure out how to store grain on his farm, also combating spoilage and rodent damage.

Early rounded silos, like hatches, were made of brick or wood using cement, much the same as they had used to make houses or barns. Many of those upright silos early on were not safe longer term. Other farmers tried a horizontal method, a cement wall called a pit silo.

Both variations continue to be improved, and both are still in use today.

That’s today’s American Agriculture History Minute. I’m Mark Oppold. Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.