Sept. 3, 2026
VIROQUA, Wis. — A 74‑year‑old Viroqua man died Tuesday after becoming trapped in a grain bin on his farm in the Town of Viroqua, according to Vernon County Sheriff Roy Torgerson and Coroner Betty Nigh.
Just before 12:30 p.m., the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office 911 Dispatch Center received a report from a farm on Cherry Grove Road that the owner was possibly trapped inside a grain bin. Authorities said the farmer had been unloading shelled corn when the grain inside the bin had caked or “bridged,” preventing it from flowing into the unloading auger.
Officials said the farmer, identified as Raymond J. Ackman, entered the bin to break up the bridged grain. The grain collapsed, burying him under a large amount of corn.
Rescue crews located Ackman and freed him after extensive efforts, but he died at the scene, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Responding agencies included the Viroqua Fire Department, Viroqua Emergency Medical Responders, Tri‑State Ambulance/Gundersen Ambulance, Westby‑Christiana Fire Department, La Farge Fire Department, Vernon County Emergency Management, Cashton Fire & Rescue, Coon Valley Fire Department, Gundersen AIR, the Vernon County Sheriff’s Office and numerous volunteers.
The first unit arrived within five minutes of the call, and all units cleared the scene by 4:30 p.m.
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