The old woodhouse bin to the right may have a certain charm, but loose tin siding made it a liability. United Co-op is cleaning up the Kamrar site and plans to burn the aging woodhouse in September.

KAMRAR — The skyline of Kamrar is taking on a new look as harvest season nears this year, but it’s what’s going on at ground level that may have an even bigger impact as farmers begin bringing in the harvest.

Work is underway at United Cooperative in Kamrar for the installation of a new scale that will make it easier and safer for today’s bigger loads to weigh before dumping.

“It was just time to update,” says Lendall Mechaelsen, location manager at Kamrar. “This should make it faster and be very nice for everyone.”

At 14 feet wide and 80 feet long, the new scale and deck will be two feet wider than the old scale. That additional size will provide ample room for bigger tractors, bigger duals, and accommodate greater weights.

With the old scale, larger tractors had to pull off in order to weigh just the wagons. Larger duals would not fit on the scale, and the combined weight of tractor, wagon and load was just too much, according to Mechaelsen.

“This scale has a capacity of 200,000 pounds, and the old scale would not go that high,” he says.

Today’s larger wagons can hold up to 750 bushels of grain, and with a tractor pulling two wagons, loads can get very heavy, very fast.

The new scale is also set six feet further away from the building, allowing farmers to maneuver more easily as they approach.

“In the fall, especially at night, it could get a little tricky for them to see,” Mechaelsen.

The Kamrar site is open until at least 7 p.m. during harvest season and sometimes until 8 p.m., but it’s really up to what’s happening in the fields.

“If we see bad weather coming in, and we know farmers can get some things done, we’ll stay open to help them out,” Mechaelsen says.

Siouxland Scales is the general contractor for the scale. Mechaelsen said it will be much like the new scale at United Co-op’s Stonega facility. The floor and walls will each be one foot thick, while the deck itself will be 16 inches thick.

“It will be done by harvest, and we’re hoping it’s done by Sept. 1,” he adds.

Also underway at Kamrar is the removal of an aging woodhouse. The 50,000-bushel wood storage bin has been a centerpiece of the Kamrar skyline since the late 1960s or early 1970s and was showing its age.

Two 90-bushel steel bins that were filled through the woodhouse have already been taken down. The woodhouse itself is slated to be burned on Sept. 10, weather allowing.

The woodhouse was a growing liability as tin siding would blow off in the wind. In addition, the steel bins had some mechanical issues and were not feasible to repair.

“We wanted to clean up the property,” Mechaelsen says.

Any replacement storage would be in long-range plans. It’s customary in the fall to haul to other sites as needed.

“If we run out of room we haul to Webster City or Highview,” he adds.

New look at Stonega

While the work at Kamrar will change the landscape there a bit, United Co-op General Manager Tim Scott notes that even more work was completed in the last year at the Stonega facility.

“We put up a new grain facility at Stonega, and it just turned out so nice,” Scott says.

The work at Stonega included a new 140,000-bushel wet bin and a 580,000-bushel dry bin. Along with those came a 4,500-bushel per hour corn dryer and 20,000-bushel per hour leg.

Scott is pleased that United Co-op was able to make the improvements in order to better serve farmers. Along with Stratford, Stonega continues to be one of United’s busiest sites in the fall.

One of the next projects ahead for United Co-op will be a new bean dump site at its Stratford site, according to Scott.

New DEF tank at Highview

At its Highview site, United Co-op is installing a new bulk tank for diesel engine fluid (DEF), according to Rick Moore.

DEF from the new 7,500-gallon tank will be made available to customers in totes of 250 to 330 gallons for on-farm use. Smaller quantities will also be available in 55-gallon drums or even jugs of just 2.5 gallons.

The use of DEF is part of new emission standards to help diesel engines burn cleaner. DEF is not a fuel additive, but injected separately into the exhaust stream so it does not affect engine performance. Made of deionized water and urea, the purpose is to help clean up the exhaust before it’s released into the air, reducing it to basically nitrogen and water.

“DEF is a product that new trucks and new vehicles have to use,” Moore says. “It helps burn cleaner exhaust.”

He notes that DEF is used in most any kind of diesel engine, from trucks, tractors and combines to over-the-road semis and more.

Looking ahead, United Co-op also plans to take delivery on a new propane truck in the spring. In the meantime, Moore continues to wait along with farmers for fuel prices to come down.

When are prices coming down? is the question Moore gets all the time. He only wishes he had the power to make that change. Booking ahead is the option he has and is happy to discuss the options with farmers at their convenience.

“Gas has come down some, diesel has come down some, but we still have a way to go,” he concludes.

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