Grainnet

Attendance Holds Steady at 2008 GEAPS/IAOM Great Lakes Regional Conference April 10-12 in Angola, IN

Attendance held steady at 166 at the 12th annual GEAPS/IAOM Great Lakes Regional Conference April 10-12 at the Potawatomi Inn at Pokagon State Park near Angola, IN.

Click here to see pictures from the conference.

The conference was sponsored by three chapters of the Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS) -- Hoosier, Michigan/Southern Ontario, and Seaway -- and two chapters of the International Association of Operative Millers (IAOM) -- Ohio Valley and Wolverine.

The conference also featured a tabletop trade show with 28 exhibitors, down slightly from 32 the previous year. However, the number of speakers, at 26, was a record.

"I thought the conference went very well, even though the weather didn't cooperate for golf on Saturday," said Wayne Bauer, Star of the West Milling Co., Frankenmuth, MI, one of the conference coordinators.

"Our Thursday workshops, which offered a great deal of hands-on experience, were very well received, with at least 15 different speakers. The comments we received on the rest of the educational program suggested that the topics were very timely and were also well received."

The 2-1/2-day event opened with a day of hands-on workshops April 10. Topics at the three parallel-track workshops included:

• Maintenance for mounted bearings, belt and roler chain drives, and shaft-mounted speed reducers, sponsored by Emerson Power Transmission, Maysville, KY.

• Grain quality, including aeration systems, drying for quality, controlling insects, quality grains management, gran handling equipment efficiencies, and temporary storage.

• Bin entry and technical rescue, including number and type of fatalities in this area, government regulations, design parameters for grain bins, an engulfment simulation, cofferdams, harnesses, and other equipment-related issues. The Safety & Technical Rescue Association (SATRA), Detroit, MI participated in this workshop.

Topics covered in educational sessions on April 11 included:

• National Fire Protection Association regulations covering dust collectors under its NFPA 68 standard. Presenter: Don Lear, Kice Industries, Wichita, KS

• Fumigation issues and products. Presenter: John Hargett, Fumigation Service & Supply, Westfield, IN

• Railroad track inspection and maintenance. Presenter: Harris Eldridge, Ameritrak Railroad Contractors, Frankfort, IN.

• Ethanol update. Presenter: Jim Byrum, Michigan Agri Business Association, Lansing.

• Distillers dried grains. Presenter: Rick Hollister, The Andersons Inc., Maumee, OH.

• NFPA 70E arc flash regulations. Presenter: Daniel Steiner.

• Steel bin design considerations. Presenter: Jeff Decker, The GSI Group, Assumption, IL.

• Finding, recruiting, and retaining workers in agribusiness. Presenter: Dave Allen, Rich Connell Agri-Search Inc., Arthur, IL.

During the conference banquet April 11, attendees heard reports on their respective associations from GEAPS International President Mark Daniels and IAOM Vice President Royal Denning.

The conference concluded the morning of April 12 with a two-hour panel discussion on food defense, traceability issues, and site security plans.

Panelists included: Dr. Chad Laux, professor of industrial technology at Purdue University-Anderson, IN campus; Wade Pinnell, vice president of the Premium Security Group at Huffmaster, Detroit, MI, a security consulting firm; and Travis Goodman, food defense program coordinator for the Indiana Department of Health, Indianapolis.

Laux stood in for Dr. Charles Hurburgh, a professor of biosystems and agricultural engineering at Iowa State University, Ames, who was unable to make it to the conference due to bad weather. Laux collaborated with Hurburgh on a traceability research project.

A golf outing that was to have followed the April 12 panel was cancelled due to rain and cold temperatures.

Dates for the 2009 Great Lakes Regional Conference are set for April 16-17, with a shorter 1-1/2-day schedule. The conference will continue to be held at the Potawatomi Inn.