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Movie inspired by a grain entrapment accident aims to promote farm safety

A new movie titled “SILO” is bringing the importance of ag safety to viewers across the US.

Producer Sam Goldberg tells Brownfield the film was inspired by a 2010 grain entrapment accident involving the death of two teenage boys in Mount Carroll, Illinois.

“We worked with fire rescue workers, professors, farmers, and everyone kind of knew somebody who had been in a farm accident, either injured or killed. I was surprised at how prevalent farm accidents are.”

Goldberg says the film soon became a plug for ag safety and was purposely released ahead of this year’s harvest.

“I think it is just enough time for people to really internalize some of the messages of the film and bring it into their experiences at harvest.”

The film debuted at the 2019 Farm Progress Show in Illinois and was shown at Husker Harvest Days in Nebraska.

“The more time I spent in research and development, the more time I spent in farm country, I personally sort of fell in love with agriculture and the people who work in that space. I just felt that farmers are very kind and generous and the industry tends to be one big, supportive community.”

Goldberg says SILO has been overwhelming accepted by the ag industry and serves as an educational piece for other viewers.

“When I show the movie to people in the industry in New York or Los Angeles, they don’t know much about agriculture. So, they are just so interested in the technology and the storage of a grain bin and the sheer size of the equipment.”

Since SILO is a lightly funded movie in the film industry, communities must request for it to be screened in their area.

Goldberg says groups like FFA chapters and grain elevators can go to their website to request the movie be shown for local events related to ag safety, youth in agriculture and farmers’ mental health.