Grainswest Tech 2021

Tech 2021 Grains West 30 be given consideration even though it may be years, or decades, down the road. If they are going to have an auger, Wegman also encourages farmers to determine the size needed. He said a 70-foot auger will work on a 25,000-bushel bin, but will be insufficient for a 30,000-bushel bin. Because a new auger may cost $100,000, this is something to consider as you pencil out the long-term amortization. Blower systems are also increasingly popular. These work in tandem with a dryer, but not the initial handling of grain. A pneumatic blower sends the grain to different bins through six-inch aluminum piping. Grain is normally moved from a holding bin through the drying system and back into storage after the grain has been dried. This has a slower capacity of about 500 to 1,500 bushels per hour for handling grain from a drying system, but has the added benefits that, since it’s somewhat malleable, it zig-zags around a yard site above ground or underground with relative ease. The systems work simply enough and most automatically adjust airflow settings to compensate for variable seed weight such as heavier wheat or lighter barley. Wegman said blowers are safe and unlikely to damage kernels, including pulses, which are generally more delicate. The biggest benefit is that a blower system is a fraction of the cost compared to some more robust setups such as used by the Rumpf family. No one solution is “the right answer,” and Wegman said every farm site he deals with is unique. It ultimately comes down to what the farmer wants. Wegman said the other segment, which represents less than five per cent of Prairie farms, is fully automated systems that resemble an inland terminal. Rather than utilizing a foot pedal and distributor head, every action is controlled from a computer terminal within an on-site shack. The only manual operation is the initial dump of the grain. Despite this being the smallest segment of the market, he expects it will grow, too, as farms increase in size. INDUSTRY RESEARCH Much emphasis is placed on customization of handling, and it is equally important to sort out how grain will be monitored once binned for the season. It’s the primary focus for Jitendra Paliwal, associate dean in the faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences FEATURE From left to right, the Rumpf family farm operation includes father Henry and his sons Alan, Perry and Mark and grandson Garrett. Also pictured is Henry’s dog Lucy.