Westland Seed demolishes 50-year-old silo
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RONAN- Westland Seed owner David Sagmiller reclines in his office chair and looks out the window towards one of his oldest grain silos as a demolition crane tears it to shreds. Shaking his head, he says, “It’s hard to see it go. I started working there when I was 14 years old; that’s the last of the old feed plant. It’s the last of where my dad started here and a community landmark.”
The structure sat beside Westland Seed’s office on Round Butte Road for more than half a century.
The reason for the sudden destruction was an Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspection two years ago. Westland Seed had no warning before the inspection, Sagmiler said. OSHA found dust in the electrical boxes (a fire hazard) and fined the company $9,000, but they settled on $6,700 if the infractions could be fixed within 30 days. Bringing the building up to code cost nearly $5,000, leaving the total cost of OSHA’s visit at $11,700.
Thirty-five year employee Lana Bartel said the staff knew OSHA was beefing up its presence in Montana, but OSHA is not required to inform business owners prior to a visit.
“It kind of shows you how the valley is evolving. Agriculture is still the main thing here, but it’s not like it used to be,” she said.
Even so, Sagmiller said it was time to retire the 50-year-old structure.
“Those fines were the catalyst for looking at the building,” he said. “It was built in the ‘50s and it’s not safe.”
To make the best of a bad situation, he’s ordered a new tank system which will improve the quality of the seed, reduce contamination and increase the ease of use. The tanks are currently backordered and may not be installed until October.
In 1984, a fire destroyed much of the old feed plant and office, effectively ending railroad shipments. The silo was the last remaining building to survive the fire.
“We’re making the best of it, and in the end I think it will work out better for us and our customers,” Sagmiller said.
