Some farmers now dealing with grain dryer fires

It has been a frustrating year for Saskatchewan farmers.

It began with a slow start to the season because of a drought, and that turned into wet and stormy conditions.

Now some producers and fire crews are dealing with fires in grain dryers.

Ian Boxall is a farmer from the Tisdale area who is also the vice-president of the Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan.

He said the fires can happen when the condition of what’s being dried is wet and tough.

“With the grain being as wet as it is and going into the dryer, it’s taking more heat to get that grain dry to where you can store it safely — as you apply more heat to something, then it ends up staying in the dryer longer and has more potential for a fire,” said Boxall.

Boxall said for many, the frustration is mounting.

“You get into the end of November and the cost of drying grain now that the temperatures are starting to drop, the cost for those farmers goes up,” he said.

Boxall said the grain dryers are owned by the individual farmers, so when there’s a fire, it’s potentially another loss in an already tough season.