muckrakes - silos - novel written in the 60s

I have been trying to think of the name of a book I read many years ago--maybe in the sixties? I thought it was by one of the muckrakers but am not having any luck searching those titles unless I missed something. And I hope this question is not too grisly. The episode that I remember so vividly is a man on a farm dying in a silo, suffocating in wheat or corn. I apologize if this is too disturbing but I would like to read that book again. It was a novel, not non-fiction. Thanks for any help.

have I followed all the rules?

Link to previous post:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/332722#unread

Has already ruled out The Witness as it was published in 1984 and they feel it was read in the 60s.