To whom it may concern TOPIC: the consequence of weather change in this year 2019 has delayed planting sufficiently at this moment to insure a wet corn harvest. Which will entail significant amounts of drying to be done.
The current owners ship through Royal, roughly an area of harvest one fourth the size of Champaign county. Which is probably half a billion bushels or so; in 2018: ask them!
THE REASON: for this writing is, the drying season commonly runs from late september through most of november; and in a really wet harvest it goes nearly constant, into most of december. These last two years have been quiet, because with early planting and new varieties; very little drying has been needed. That will almost certainly change due to delayed planting.
Which does mean, dependent upon yield, and early selling of the crop: a large amount of extra bushels can be directed through Royal. The critical reality that will be different than in years past is: the addition of new bins; and the addition of a second drying system. The total noise production of all systems combined in drying an expected high volume of corn: will be a continual noise volume within the village limits and close surrounding area: of about 150 decibels of noise. That is well above the injury line for human hearing/ and there will be consequences, assuming the second drying system if employed/ along with the additional (to previous years) bin fans that are already in use. The new owners ship roughly double what busboom did do. Ask them!
THE REALITY: my ears are damaged with tinnitus, for the last thirty years or so. I AM well versed in the damage that means to life. Which means it is my duty to inform you: that extended periods without relief from high volume noise can and will in fact damage your ears as well. A reality already known and established as fact.
In terms of your situation: what you need to know to keep from becoming like me is: that once the squealing in your ears starts, it can go away/ once quiet is sustained. Once the squealing in your ears is significant, and begins to become painful: the odds of recovery are very small, and will always requires sustained silence for months of time to recover if at all. You can go deaf: not only will you not hear others/ you will not hear the constant sound of your lungs, heart, etc: a truly silent world. But not a pleasant one; because the things in your ears that allow for vibrations which both transmit sound/ and stop sound from continuing on long after the noise has stopped. Can be damaged or destroyed. THE ONLY SOLUTION, bar none; is in fact to gain significant distance from the impacting noise. That does mean: surrendering the house/ and living wherever you must: until such time as the noise abates. You will not find relief in the surrounding area: as it is filled with noise from farmer own drying operations. Do not attempt to reside along a railroad track; as the train engines are particularly harmful; dependent upon which frequency damages you most.
The farmers and the elevator operators: WILL DEMAND, WE MUST dry the corn or it spoils/ and that is true. It is not true, that you must dry the corn from extreme distances away: let them dry their own. That may or may not happen. Irregardless, the only way the majority in Royal can survive ear damage; under extreme conditions is to be prepared to move. While nearly all will scoff and assume that nothing bad can happen to them/ I guarantee it can, and will under the basic conditions described. Which does mean you must prepare, with either a lawsuit to the elevator describing how much it will cost them to disregard this reality; or develop real life plans about where you intend to go. Distance is as you will learn the only thing you must do: to save your hearing. Severe tinnitus affects every part of life and work: it is no small thing. If you believe you can gain wealth if you get hurt/ think again; as an entire town of people injured simply means they declare bankruptcy, and the lawyers take everything else. Regardless no amount of money is worth the price of ear damage. You have everything to lose/ and nothing to gain: from assuming the noise will not affect you. Because it can, and that does mean, it likely will. The courts will not help you either/ as power controls, not law. You are not a big enough concern to get politicians involved; money will rule/ as it did when I took the court to task: demanding excessive noise cannot be allowed/ they are trespassing over private property to do physical and real life harm. Power won/ not law, even though the law has more power than the money: it takes sufficient humanity itself being involved. You can however go to court if necessary: and tax as a municipality the elevator, for every bushel of grain that it ships through this destination/ that is more than a realistic “restricted area” farmer for this specific area amount. Or more distinctly, the change from an agriculture related business/ to an industrial one has consequences that are consistent with a legal challenge. To collect money for that change, by taxing the invading enemy: is consistent with law of mediation as is we surrender if paid. To tax industry: to, either limit the noise that must be endured, with changes in their operation that are justified for the purpose of claiming back some of what has been lost: is consistent with the law called justice, arbitrated when the noise level comes down to what is proven to be non threatening to human hearing. The value of insisting with legal action/ that enough is enough: conforms with the construction, “we will not be your slaves”. The reality of insisting: the property devaluation of living in an industrial zone/ living next to the railroad operational hub/ being assaulted with extreme noise, and subject to the lifelong harm of hearing damage or deafness/ subject to the increased suicidal rate consistent with those who do have severe tinnitus: are all valid cause for legal actions to be taken. But make no mistake, without the correct lawyer you will fail/ and ninety percent of those will sell you out in a heartbeat, for the right bribe. The elevator has cursed you/ and you will know beyond the shadow of a doubt, it is true: just as soon as “the corn must be dried”. They cursed the farmer with endless trucking: which costs far more than rail shipping along the line (lowering your price). They cursed the environment due to that trucking/ and so on.
As to the possibilities of change: enclosing the dryers with concrete at a sufficient height to help control noise; and distance to allow them to work will substantially help. Not a great expense. Putting the fans on the inside of the grain bins; using tubes, with movable guides to direct air flow; along with sensors to indicate and track where air flow is needed: will decrease noise and grain loss. They need to be hung/ or they need a “wobble support on the floor” that would then allow for the auger to pass under them. Limiting storage capacity to remove “the continual train”/ controls the elevator. Install a subway like third rail, and demand an electric engine “with battery backup to cross the road”. As the means of loading cars. That third rail can be used to recover energy from a train stopping; if society demanded it. And establish a monetary fine for all railroad engines who sit and idle; ending the free for all, without a concern for any. The cost of engines at idle {using fuel, and other resources (no future)/ polluting without a cause (a destroyed world/ using oxygen (can’t breathe, all gone)/ discarding heat (global warming): causing noise (we must use our brain to control by discarding the environment itself, under the veil of it doesn’t affect me: because my brain shut that area of life and living off. Just like children are shut out: how great is that) until of course you can’t, because now your ears control everything about life or living or earning or all that makes life happy} on the railroad siding. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.
I will add this, for notice: the gravity of refusing to recognize the risk.
As is consistent with all legal class action suits: the primary cause of a legal battle defended by the perpetrator of the action whatever it is, is to claim ignorance. I did not know, even if I could have known: because this is the standard of practice throughout the industry. Even though the enlargement of those industries, have created entirely different sets of circumstances for those, either willingly or unwillingly involved.
This notice dated 4/ 30/ 19 removes the excuse of ignorance; and applies a level of knowledge that can easily be recognized and tested: by simply using a decibel meter (you can get one free for your smart phone/ in apps). And turning ALL the equipment on: while harvest is yet away: so as to compare sound levels and frequencies: to the government acknowledged : decibel levels, and length of immersion; which cause hearing damage. Then you know. Then the citizens of Royal know as well; if they so wish.
THIS IS NOT AN ATTACK; legal or otherwise.
THIS IS A REALITY OF HARM, that can and will exist: wherever too much noise, lasts too long in a situation where those involved cannot escape that noise: Particularly because it is their home they must now leave.
Deliberately causing deafness to occur/ fully knowing that your actions are the cause: does establish a criminal cause that can be prosecuted. I highly recommend that you engage the citizenry of Royal to discuss the matter: so as to make this a unilateral decision/ thereby removing the basis for criminal or legal consequences. Because then: they had a choice as well. But you cannot do so, without the information that is crucial to making an informed decision: which is the decibel level of all machines running; along with train engines/ outside influences such as farmer grain bins that will also be running: to multiply the noise from all sides. With that information: it is possible grants, or federal loans, etc could be found to offset the work needed to be done. After all: this situation is repeated throughout agriculture. ALL small operations are being swallowed by large ones: changing the dynamics of the entire industry, and affecting rural America throughout its existence.
If this was an attack: I would simply wait for the damage to be done/ so that the reality of harm, could not be disputed. That is an attack: letting you fall into your own trap, even if you didn’t build it/ it exists. This is an advise you notice; so that if intensive corn drying does exist: the opportunity to save lives, livings, children, and home values at least has a chance of being dealt with fairly and as appropriately as possible.
IF on the other hand, the reality of no further corn drying than has occurred in the last two years or in previous times were to continue: then the people of Royal, have not complained/ because they know not how, or simply do not care: until it is too late to change the result. That is the gamble. But if it becomes evident the year will include serious or severe drying needs/ it will be too late to do anything; by the time you know more than, what is evident; at this date.
At a minimum: should significant drying occur, the school children should be moved to their other schools in the area: until that reality of living is over. They face a lifetime; so says hope.
I guarantee: they will care then. As tinnitus at its worst for me: is roughly equal to a smoke detector alarm at about 70% volume; constantly screaming for three weeks in your head. A tiny bit more and you go deaf/ not to mention broken ear drum and the cost of living turned upside down. Believe it or not: this is no small matter.
For those among you who believe “we have been through this before/ it is no big deal. I remind you clearly and with certainty: THE LAST big drying year which occurred less than ten years ago: involved roughly less than one fourth the grain that is now going through the Royal elevator. The two big million bushel bins did not exist at that time/ and the new owners ship double what busboom did. Previously, the elevator did not use, other than a little bit: the propane dryer they purchased for excessive grain/ or can’t use the natural gas (shut off, due to lack of gas that did occur). So today: when shipping roughly 4 times as much. The potential for bringing wet grain here to Royal for drying: because they can/ in a situation where everything else is backed up:is real and substantial. Because drying takes time. The reality will become in a wet grain year: that you and each employee; will be subjected to twice the noise, and that being continuous noise, from the end of september till the end of december. At a decibel level of over 145 . Few will not be harmed!
For the farmers who believe: “this damn shithole is affecting my life”/ I remind you, IF THE ELEVATOR GOES BANKRUPT DUE TO LAWSUITS FILED/ every asset will be immediately frozen. And every person with grain in that elevator is going to be affected in ways they DON’T LIKE. Those businesses you deal with, would then also fail to get their money. Suck it up. there is sizable hearing damage in rural farming America: because of concentrated, high impact, long term noise: from grain drying. just a fact.
You may as well fix it right; and establish a return air system for the dryer: which allows for the dried grain to flow through a substantial area in the incoming air for the dryer. That dried grain has a lot of heat/ that can then be simply recycled into drying the wet grain; making the process much more efficient and cheaper to operate. To enclose the dryer requires a foundation/ and then use the large stackable concrete blocks to create the walls. They can be dismantled quickly in case of a need to replace the dryer as a whole. Four corners is best. Noise is like water flow: it travels up and over the edge/ then falling back down: which means the higher you go for directional control, the more focusing (up) control you have over the noise.
It would also be wise to incorporate a shifting system for the saturated air escaping from the dryer. That would be in simple terms: a sponge system which rotates to collect the water from steam. Which then runs through a ringer “like an old washing machine”/ to remove the water. A “silk screen” type of material is used in conjunction with this ringing material to separate the dust/ let the water go through, and keep the sponge clean. The newly dried hot air; can then be refocused back into drying more grain.
An axial flow fan is most useful for a grain elevator: as it will allow air to flow in either direction. A centrifugal fan will only pressurize air out. Trading with farmer bins if they don’t wish to place the fan inside for quiet control. Allows for fans in their operation to be made quieter as well. Any section of the grain bin, can then be focused upon if in trouble: as That would be desirable. The current cost in this area for drying with propane or electricity is roughly equal at this time; consequently adding electric heat is simple and cheap. The fans need to be fashioned for lifting through the tube if they fail.
Farm bins commonly use stirators, which circle the bin inside the grain: that would be unnecessary with directional control over airflow with sensors to indicate what is actually going on inside the grain. Instead of one larger fan with directional vanes/ 3-5 small fans would be more desirable. A large fan is propped up on one leg where the unloading auger begins at the center. While small fans, with their breathing tubes would be hung from the stirator track by cabling in a circle around the bin outer wall. The stirators mechanisms can be left in place; until you are certain this is the right method for you. A plus is leveling the bin should no longer be necessary; as directional control over specific sections will replace that.
