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Educational Sessions
50 Speakers,
33 Hours Of Focused Educational Programming
The Exchange 2008 education program is going to be, hands down, the largest in Exchange history. It will feature more than 50 different speakers and offer some 33 hours of focused presentations—all deliberately geared to topics of interest to professionals in the grain-operations industry.
“It’s important to point out that this entire program was planned and organized by GEAPS volunteers, and every one of them is directly involved in grain operations as part of their job,” said Kathy Reading, vice chair of the Educational Programming Committee. “We select the topics and find the right speakers, and that’s why our program is so relevant. We don’t want to be congratulating ourselves before the show begins, but I think the EPC has done a tremendous job.”
In addition to the expo hall pods, the opening workshop and Idea Exchange the program will include 45-minute long presentations on the following topics:
[Sessions marked with (ñ) will be simultaneously translated into Spanish.]
Maintaining Your Power Transmission
Belt Drives
Coordinator: Eric Clements, operations manager, Topflight Grain, Bement, IL
Speaker: Steve Small, district sales manager, Gates Corp, Arnold, MO
This session will cover the best ways for grain facility operators to keep their power transmission belt drives running with optimum efficiency. Topics will include methods to increase uptime; reducing replacement costs through proper belt installation and tensioning; tensioning tools; causes of belt failure; sheave and sprocket wear; proper alignment and reducing energy costs.
Rail Safety: Anytime Is Train Time
Coordinator: Earl Joy, superintendent, Agrex Inc, Norfolk, NE
Speaker: Chad Korth, mechanic, Operation Lifesaver representative, Nebraska Central Railroad
This session will discuss Operation Lifesaver, a comprehensive nationwide rail-safety initiative dedicated to ending collisions, fatalities and injuries at highway crossings and on railroad rights of way. With a focus on safety at grain facilities, it will also discuss job briefings, communication, switch positions, derailment, and rail and railcar inspections.
Global Impact of the Ethanol Boom (ñ)
Coordinator: Janette Halsne, grain operations manager, West Central Cooperative, Ralston, IA
Speakers: Ken Hobbie, president and CEO, U.S. Grains Council; Dan Keefe, international operations-DDGS, U.S. Grains Council, Washington, DC
What are the implications of the ethanol boom? They extend well beyond the U.S. and Canada. This session will discuss supply-and-demand issues that bridge local and international concerns. Officers of the U.S. Grains Council will also discuss increasing opportunities for exporting distillers dried grains, and the already-significant demand for the co-product in Asia, Mexico, Egypt and other regions.
Storage and material-handling considerations for dried distillers grains
Coordinator: Deb Good, district sales manager, Brock Grain Systems, O’Fallon, MO
Speaker: Mike Schuster, divisional sales manager, Laidig Systems Inc, Mishawaka, IN
This ethanol co-product is both voluminous and valuable, but handling and storing distillers dried grains has its challenges. This session will review current methods utilized at ethanol plants and offer insight on potential issues if considering DDGS usage at feed mills. A review of storage facility types, costs, spoilage, safety, load-out and transportation will also be included. The session will also compare advantages and disadvantages of DDGS and wet distillers grains.
Electrical Safety & NFPA 70E
Coordinator: Sam Germer, vice president, RCI, Ogden, IA
Speaker: Dave Nicewicz, assistant safety director, ADM Grain, Grand Ledge, MI
Grain industry safety specialist Dave Nicewicz will discuss electrical safety. Several years ago, OSHA asked NFPA, the National Fire Protection Association, to bring in industry experts to define the latest, most current safety precautions for electrical work. Those requirements were issued in a document called NFPA 70E as a supplement to the National Electric Code (NFPA 70) and have been updated regularly. Since 2000, clothing requirements for electrical work have been specified, which was a very big change. This presentation will help facility owners and operators explore the safety issues that are detailed in 70E. Dave will answer common questions concerning 70E and provide suggestions how each attendee can learn more about implementing these safety requirements at their facility to protect workers and satisfy OSHA requirements.
Fall Protection – Do We Really Have
A Program? (ñ)
Coordinator: Pat Greer, Winnipeg, MB
Speaker: Wayne J. Donnelly, President, New Heights Industries Inc, Winnipeg, MB
This session will review the current situation regarding fall-protection at grain facilities, provide a basic overview of fall-protection regulations, discuss fall-protection program development and implementation, and present a sample of training-course requirements.
Pests, Product Loss and Health Concerns
Coordinator: Sam Kennedy, branch account manager, Orkin/PCO Services Inc, Saskatoon, SK
Speaker: Sean Rollo, quality assurance manager, technical advisor, Orkin Pest Control, Canada; Burnaby, BC
Rodents, birds and flies are drawn to grain facilities for some very good reasons, and this session will zero in on what attracts them in the first place. It will also discuss the resultant product loss from an infestation, the potential for human disease, and the best ways to keep the pests at bay.
Food, Fuel and the Right Thing to Do (ñ)
Coordinator: Kelly Haigh, quality systems manager, Consolidated Grain & Barge Co, Olney, IL
Speaker: Richard K. Perrin, professor, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE
Corn is still a staple food and feed commodity, but increasingly large amounts of it have been diverted to the ethanol stream. With food prices rising and poor people in large parts of the world scrambling to find their next meals, the boom in corn-based ethanol production raises some important ethical and environmental questions. In this session, Dr. Richard Perrin, an agricultural economist at the University of Nebraska, will shed light on some of the key dilemmas in the ethanol industry.
Managing Your Aeration System: Breeze In To Learn More
Coordinators: Steve Cashman, manager, grain & processing industry sales, Cimbria Bratney Co, Des Moines, IA; Gary Vaughn, sales engineer, Union Iron Works Inc, Boone, IA
Speaker: Scott Chant, president, Safe-Grain/Maxi-Tronic Inc, Mason, OH
This session will provide an overview on grain aeration techniques, management and equipment. When is aeration practical? How long should operators keep aeration systems running? When? Why is aeration necessary at times? What are the best ways to manage aeration systems? Participants in this session will get answers from one of the most savvy industry professionals around.
OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program
Coordinator: Rick Summer, Coors Brewing Co, Longmont, CO
Speaker: Doug Fletcher, U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA, Kansas City, MO
Is your company aware of OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program? It should be, because successful participants in the program not only tend to have better safety records, but can also be removed from OSHA’s routine inspection lists. VPP is designed to recognize and promote safety and health management collaboratively, in a partnership between business and government. This session will provide details, and information about how your company can get involved in the program.
Fan-Tastic: Cutting Energy Costs Out Of Thin Air (ñ)
Coordinator: Gene Haldorson, vice president, senior project manager, Van Sickle Allen & Assoc,
Plymouth, MN
Speaker: Thomas Godbey, application specialist, Donaldson Co Inc, Louisville, KY
A significant portion (sometimes up to 50 percent) of motor energy consumed in a grain operation is consumed by air-moving equipment. Yet, little thought is given to reducing these energy costs for existing systems, system expansions or improvements, or for new systems. This presentation will look into component parts involved, determine which variables can be controlled, examine dollar savings for each possibility, and then review some real-world examples.
Non-Confined Space Engulfment Risks
Coordinator: Kathy Reading, vice president, sales, Seedburo Equipment Co, Chicago, IL
Speaker: Tom Zemanick, US AgHorizons Ops Leader, Cargill, Wayzata, MN
This session will focus on non-confined space storage areas at grain elevators that can pose engulfment risks. This means grain and fertilizer storage areas that have engulfment risks that are not considered confined spaces by OSHA. The session would make clear what the requirements are for those spaces and that employees know how to take precautions and become aware of the hazards while working in these areas.
The Transportation Workers Identification Credentials Program
Coordinator: Robert Taylor, port terminal operations leader, Cargill Inc, Wayzata, MN
Speaker: Kevin Gilheany, owner, Maritime Compliance International, New Orleans, LA
The Transportation Security Administration and the U.S. Coast Guard are implementing a Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program which will have a significant impact on many waterfront facilities and vessels. There are things that can be done to minimize the impact of the TWIC regulations that operators should be aware of. This session will enable company personnel to develop a comprehensive plan to implement TWIC requirements at their facilities and on board their vessels.
Starting At The Top: Bin-Roof Maintenance (ñ)
Coordinator: Joe Hochstettler, risk coordinator, Blanchard Valley Farmers Cooperative, Findlay, OH
Speaker: Jack Kenney, regional manager, DC Taylor Co, Cedar Rapids, IA
Taking the “out-of-sight, out-of-mind” approach to grain-bin roofing is a bad idea. When roofs leak or fail, easily-spotted and expensive trouble is probably not far behind. This session will discuss the best approaches to keeping bin roofs in good condition. It will review roof-top evaluation strategies and techniques, as well as regular maintenance and repair, and—especially—how to get the work done safely.
Manage Your Construction Project
Coordinators: Tom Malek, Nationwide Agribusiness, Gretna, NE; Theron Kuhn, senior operations manager, The Scoular Co, Fremont, NE
Speaker: Sid Fey, claims manager, Nationwide Agribusiness Insurance, Des Moines, IA
A lot can go wrong with grain-facility building and construction projects, and this session will explore best ways to ensure that grain facilities aren’t left holding the bag if things go wrong. This session will discuss how to ensure that contractual obligations are met, liens, and the importance of certificates of insurance.
Country Elevator Maintenance: Reliability-Centered Maintenance, Baling Wire and the Great Depression
Coordinator: Carl Corrigan, safety director, Consolidated Grain & Barge Co, Springfield, IL
Speaker: Randy Springer, vice president, Pepper Maintenance Systems, Mackinaw, IL
Reliability Centered Maintenance, Baling Wire and the Great Depression are all rooted on the basic premise of holding things together and making things last. Each topic builds on the idea that longest possible life brings the highest return on investment for greatest profitability. The session will discuss precision installation, vibration and bearing life, alignment and equipment life, heat-flow analysis and resistant heating, and the total effect on the bottom line: How much will I be saving when predictive technologies and reliability-centered maintenance practices are employed?
The Future of Plant Genetics (ñ)
Coordinator: Buzz Tourangeau, division manager, Farmers Cooperative Society, Sioux Center, IA
Speaker: Dr. Ted Crosbie, vice president, global plant breeding, Monsanto, Ankeny, IA
Plant Breeding has changed more in the last ten years than it did during the previous fifty years. We now have genetically mapped the majority of the most important genes in corn and soybeans. Molecular modeling is now the norm for plant breeders who design breeding crosses much like engineers use CAD to design more aerodynamic automobiles. Biotech transgenes also enhance product performance in ways that were previously unimaginable by plant breeders and farmers alike. In his talk, Dr. Crosbie will provide an in-depth view of trait and germplasm prospects over the next ten years.
Temporary Grain Storage: A Panel Discussion (ñ)
Coordinator: Ed Zdrojewski, editor, Grain Journal, Decatur, IL
Speakers: Bob Marlow, regional operations manager, The Andersons, Delphi, IN; Justin Towery, assistant general manager, Bayou Grain & Chemical Corp, Parkdale, AR; Dan McBride, operations manager, United Farmers Cooperative, York, NE
With huge grain crops and tremendous demand, more grain is going to the ground these days, presenting many challenges for grain handlers. This panel discussion will offer real-world insight and examples from experienced industry professionals about how they have dealt with temporary grain storage. It will discuss dimensions, designs, costs, timing, filling, covering, quality control, warehouse inspection and other key issues relating to ground piles.
Copyright 2008, Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS)
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