Blog

“It is not the beauty of a building you should look at; it’s the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time.” – David Allen Coe Foundation – it is the support and base of an entity, whether it is an area of knowledge (mathematics, art, music), education generally, ideology, relationships, organization of government, ecosystems, building structures, etc. The concept of needing a strong foundation is referenced throughout time from poets like Ralph Waldo Emerson to the Bible regarding building a house on sand or rock. The importance of the foundation for

The Fluid Fertilizer Foundation held its 2014 Fluid Technology Workshop in Sacramento on December 9th and 10th.  Focusing on liquid fertilizer, the various speakers addressed topics including water testing, crop management with marginal water quality, plant operation, formulation and compatibility issues, UAN composition variability, and soil testing methods. Chris Brooks from Heartland Tank Services, Inc. was one of the speakers at the 2014 Fluid Technology Workshop.  His presentation addressed above ground storage tank maintenance issues and the importance of performing regular storage tank inspections, including weekly or monthly storage tank visual inspections and an API 653 tank inspection every five

The Indiana Legislature has before it Senate Bill 312 regarding above ground storage tank registration.  The Bill was introduced by Sen. Ed Charbonneau and Sen. Mark Stoops.  This Bill appears to be following the lead of West Virginia in requiring above ground storage tanks to be registered with the state environmental department. The West Virginia Above Ground Storage Tank Act was a swift reaction to a chemical spill in the Elk River caused by an above ground steel storage tank owned by Freedom Industries.  The chemical reached the local water supply, and the water plant was not able to

Technology and agricultural work are becoming more intertwined than ever before in history — and we’re not talking about FarmVille. According to a November 1 New York Times report, today’s farmers are increasingly taking advantage of smart technology — sensors, GPS trackers, irrigation apps, cloud computing systems and communications gadgets — in order to optimize their agricultural pursuits and compete with larger farming companies. The technology is helping farmers who might have been struggling to stay afloat in an increasingly austere industry utilize their land more efficiently, and in turn maximize profits and expand. For Indiana farmer Kip Tom, this means

Just after the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection proposed annual fees for above ground storage tank owners to fund the regulatory structure created by the Above Ground Storage Tank Act (“ASTA”), a bill was introduced on Tuesday to significantly revise the ASTA.  The revisions would drastically reduce the number of above ground storage tanks that would be subject to the ASTA.  Whether these revisions will be passed remains to be seen, but if the bill exits the House Judiciary Committee a heated debate will likely ensue. Protecting Water Quality The ASTA was the reaction of the West Virginia

The winter cold is starting to break. You are preparing to use various starters and liquid fertilizers for the upcoming agricultural season. It's crucial to consider how winter salting out and stratification impacts your liquid fertilizer tank. Liquid fertilizer sitting in aboveground storage tanks through a cold winter undergoes changes. Cold temperatures can affect liquid fertilizer in two ways: stratification and/or salting out. Understanding Stratification and Salting Out Stratification causes pockets of varying product concentrations within an aboveground storage tank. Cold temperatures cause some liquid fertilizers to salt out, leaving a combination of salted and liquid product in your tank.

A year after the water contamination catastrophe from the Freedom Industries chemical spill and quick enactment of the West Virginia Aboveground Storage Tank Act, West Virginia Senate Bill 423 has been passed by the Senate and House.  The Bill greatly scales back the number of aboveground storage tanks that would be regulated by the state program. Despite being passed unanimously by the West Virginia Legislature, the Aboveground Storage Act received much criticism later in 2014 from legislators and tank owners for being too far reaching.  Senate Bill 423 is addressing these concerns by to decreasing the approximate number of

Steel prices have fallen yet again after an already 10% price drop in 2014.  In the realm of steel storage tanks, this decrease translates to the price of steel plate material dropping approximately $10 per hundred weight.  For an API 650 above ground storage tank compared to prices in 2013, the customer can see a price tag savings from several thousands to tens of thousands of dollars depending on the size of the tank. The question on the minds of buyers of steel storage tanks is “What’s the future of steel prices?”  Is it worth waiting to see if steel prices

Repurposing and recycling is a common trend as well as ways a company can effectively use its capital resources.  An above ground storage tank is an asset that can be repurposed to store a different liquid than originally intended when it was built.  Before filling the tank with a new liquid product, several steps need to be taken to ensure a safe repurposing.  Those steps include conducting an API 653 tank inspection, determining whether an internal coating is needed, and assessing whether state or federal regulatory rules require the tank to have secondary containment. Verifying Tank

Indiana Senate Bill 312 addressing above ground storage tank reporting and water threat minimization has gone through several changes since its introduction in January 2015.  Bill 312 was sent back to the Indiana Senate for a vote after several amendments were made by the House. Major Bill Amendments The definition of an above ground storage tank (“AST”) has been altered from the original version submitted.  An AST is now defined as a device (1) with at least 10% of the outer surface above ground; and (2) can hold more than 660 gallons of a liquid product. The size of