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Tag Archives grain bins — page 2

A U.S. inventor says his radio frequency wave generator can dry feedstuffs without the use of heat.
Crops, News

New technology uses radio waves to dry grain

Eliminating heat gets rid of the need for propane or natural gas

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Glacier FarmMedia – Few farmers can likely envision using radio waves to dry grain one decade into the future. But Kevin Eichhorn not only envisions such radical radio frequency drying technology, he’s building it. The Eden Prairie, Minnesota, inventor connects an off-the-shelf radio frequency wave generator to his dryer using a coaxial cable. He calls […] Read more
This nighttime photo shows the frustrating futility of fighting a dryer fire from the outside, and the danger to human safety.
Crops, News

Will your grain dryer become a grain fryer?

Eighty per cent of fires caused by trash buildup and can be avoided

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Glacier FarmMedia – Fall is busy for grain dryers, especially if the harvest window is short and tough grain needs quick attention. Storing tough grain that hasn’t received proper attention is a good way to waste money, according to GSI dryer specialist Randy Sheley. He says there are two ways your money goes up the […] Read more
A grain storage bin lay on a gravel road near Litchfield, Nebraska, about 230 km west of Lincoln, after high winds swept across the U.S. Great Plains and upper Midwest, in this still image from a social media video. (Kevin Fulton image via Reuters)
Crops

Dust storm, hurricane-force winds tear across U.S. upper Midwest

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Chicago | Reuters — Hurricane-force winds tore across the U.S. upper Midwest Thursday evening, sending walls of dust across cities and rural towns, causing widespread property damage and killing at least two people. Straight-line winds up to 170 km/h reached from Kansas to Wisconsin, pushing waves of farmland topsoil across the horizon and plunging communities […] Read more
Weight variations generate micro deformations of the bin’s leg, and analyzing this information helps estimate the weight. The tool is easy to install on an existing bin.
Machinery, News

No bin load cells? No problem, get that weight anyway

Strain gauges can be used, along with some computer programming and smart data processing to tell what you have

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Glacier FarmMedia – A French company can install a IoT (internet of things)-based product-measuring system into grain bins with legs within half an hour. Nanolike installs strain gauges into the legs of grain bins and then uses algorithms and artificial-intelligence based cloud computing to estimate the amount of product inside. A strain gauge is used […] Read more
Bins and grain handling equipment form hazardous environments demand training, procedures, and emergency plans to prevent injury and death.
News

Don’t be complacent around grain storage hazards

What to watch for when filling bins

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There is a plethora of hazards associated with storing and moving grain. Robert Gobeil, agricultural health and safety specialist for the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association, detailed overarching dangers and how to prevent them at a recent virtual event hosted by Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show.  Hazards Those entering a storage area containing a grain mass can […] Read more
Use a phone camera to check in hard to see places for areas that need to be cleaned.
Crops

Prepare your grain bins before setting out for harvest

Tips and tricks for making sure bins are clean and ready for a new crop

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Before filling grain bins or using temporary storage, thoroughly clean the bins or storage site. Follow these steps each time you empty a bin and before filling it with new grain: Eliminate dust and dockage from any cracks in the bin. Repair holes, cracks and leaks in the bin and cracks in the floor if […] Read more
Farmobile’s PUC unit. (Video screengrab from Farmobile.com via YouTube)
Crops, Machinery

Grain equipment firm AGI takes stake in Farmobile

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Canadian grain handling and storage equipment maker Ag Growth International plans to dial up its collaboration with ag tech firm Farmobile and has taken a minority stake in the U.S. company to that end. Winnipeg-based AGI announced Tuesday it had agreed to make a “minority equity investment” of US$15 million (C$19.57 million) in Farmobile, effective […] Read more
GSI’s new Z-Series bins have a self-cleaning option.
Machinery, News

New grain bins make cleanout safer

The bins have inflatable bags that help to move the grain out safely

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Grain bins and grain handling equipment are one of the main causes of on-farm accidents. One of the places where farmers or employees can get injured is inside of the grain bin. Thinking back to my time on the family farm, the first job I was able to do on my own was unloading bins […] Read more
The Mobile Sensor Mote being developed at PAMI sits in the grain and transmits moisture and temperature readings to a base 
station.
Crops, News

Give bins pills to ensure they stay healthy

Off-the-shelf sensors are being evaluated for their ability to monitor bins

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Grain storage sensors being developed at the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute use over-the-counter electrical components and offer better coverage in large bins. “The point of them is to try and get full coverage of moisture and temperature throughout a grain bin because we found that the options that are available now give limited coverage,” said […] Read more
The GrainViz imaging sensors (the black device) magnetically attach to the inside bin wall. A 24-sensor array provides 3D imaging, revealing the moisture content of every bushel in the bin.
Crops

Is 3D grain bin monitoring tech for you?

Electromagnetic imaging is pricey but the technology can reveal hot spots anywhere in a bin

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Three-dimensional bin monitoring is one of the more talked-about new ag technologies. Proponents of this type of grain monitoring — more formally called three-dimensional electromagnetic imaging or 3D EMI — claim it can spot potential trouble anywhere in the bin and alert producers before grain even begins to spoil. There’s also a safety factor out […] Read more

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