Grain elevator

nounStandard termFarming

A towering agricultural facility used to stockpile and transfer bulk cereal crops.

A large-scale storage complex designed to receive, weigh, and store bulk grain before shipping. It features vertical bucket conveyors or pneumatic systems that lift the harvest into tall cylindrical silos. These facilities manage moisture and temperature to prevent spoilage while staging massive volumes for loading onto trains, trucks, or barges.

Heard on the job

The trucks are backed up for a mile at the grain elevator waiting to unload this wheat.

Do not mix it up with

  • Granary: A granary is a general building for storing grain, while an elevator specifically features mechanical lifting systems to fill massive commercial silos.
  • Silo: A silo is the individual storage cylinder, whereas the elevator is the entire facility including the lifting mechanisms.