An inflated plastic grain bin soon to be on the market will store grain for half the cost of conventional bins.

The 6,000-bu. "air bubble" bin has no structural framework. It's inflated by a blower system that also serves as a grain aeration unit.

The base of the bin is 40-mil. plastic. On top of this sets plastic side panels that have four zipper openings to remove the grain. The top, made of polyvinyl plastic with a 500-1b. test weight, is vented to let out excess air.

The bin is equipped with a humidistat which turns on the blower when temperatures get too high. The blower and inflation unit are included in the price of the bin.

"Two men can put up one unit in 4 to 6 hours," John Farrar, president of Agri-Pro, told FARM SHOW. "These bins can handle any storage job a steel bin can handle, and they cost half as much. After use, they can be rolled up and stored again until needed, and you don't pay any property tax on them."

 His experiments have been done with 6,000-bu. units, but he is now designing a 10,000-bu. bin.