Why now is the best time to evaluate your grain drying system

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All over the UK farms are well into harvest and many, especially in the south, are entering the crucial post-harvest phase. Grain drying, cooling and storage systems are in full swing, ensuring crops are in optimum condition before delivery. Now, more than at any other point in the year, farmers are very aware of the capability of their systems. At this point we believe it is crucial to evaluate your grain drying and a storage requirement as the existing system is put through its paces.

During harvest is when shortcomings in current systems are most obvious, it is also when the best ideas for improvements are formed. Improvements to grain drying systems may be aimed at Continue reading ‘Why now is the best time to evaluate your grain drying system’

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Quickly calculating grain shrinkage

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When grain is accepted by merchants at a moisture content level which is higher than that contracted, the weight loss due to drying must be calculated. This enables the actual value of the grain to be worked out. This charge and also the charge applied for then drying the grain can be avoided through having suitable facilities for on-farm grain drying.

The loss in weight during drying is known as water shrinkage and occurs when grain is dried, whether in the field or mechanically. The weight of dried grain may be calculated, by using Continue reading ‘Quickly calculating grain shrinkage’

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In photos – Harvest 2010 so far

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Here are a few pictures of some of the new grain driers we have delivered this season. The photos illustrate the range of options Mecmar offer, ensuring that every farmer can have the grain drier that best caters for their specific requirements. 

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The harvest rush on second hand mobile batch grain driers

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Harvest 2010 is looking a bit gloomy at the moment, the weather forecast continues to look unpromising and 75% of UK wheat is still standing in the fields. However, the prospect that wheat prices may remain bullish in the short term is a welcome distraction (especially if Ukraine impose export quotas this week). Unfavourable weather conditions do not only cause panic buying on the international wheat market but they also cause panic buying on the (slightly smaller but no less important) UK second hand grain drier market.

Buying second hand grain driers

This combination of dreary weather forecasts and crops standing in the field drive hurried enquiries for second hand grain driers, the sole criteria being Continue reading ‘The harvest rush on second hand mobile batch grain driers’

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Mobile batch grain driers and grain moisture testing

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This time of year we are always occupied with helping new customers to get the best from their Mecmar grain driers and usually reminding a few older ones what they should be doing too. A great many questions centre around the issue of drying temperatures. Setting the air temperature is a straightforward business but the process by which you relate the cereal temperature to the moisture content (mc) of a crop can be trickier.

One of the main pitfalls is the accurate measurement of crop moisture straight from the drier. HGCA research shows that moisture content variability is increased when measuring freshly harvested grain, even within well mixed samples. The research went on to find that poor operator practise could result in errors of Continue reading ‘Mobile batch grain driers and grain moisture testing’

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A guide to cereal drying temperatures for Mecmar mobile grain driers

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Following the interest in the previous post on drying temperatures for oilseed rape (OSR), I will go on to expand and share our guidance on other crops. This will cover air temperatures, cereal temperatures and how to ensure drying to the right moisture content. The third of these being of particular importance as, overdrying a crop will waste fuel, reduce throughput and risk heat damage, however, underdrying increases the chance of spoilage.  It can be a tricky balance to strike even for experience operators.

As in the previous post, these temperature recommendations are for Mecmar grain driers and based on a combination of the manufacturers recommendations, industry best practise guidance and our teams years of practical experience. They are accurate but must be applied with consideration of ambiant atmospheric and crop conditions.

Air temperature

In principle there are two air temperatures to remember when it comes to drying with a Mecmar grain drier Continue reading ‘A guide to cereal drying temperatures for Mecmar mobile grain driers’

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Oilseed rape drying temperatures for Mecmar mobile batch grain driers

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Many farmers around the UK are now filling or preparing to fill their grain driers for the first time this season. The first crop through is quite commonly oilseed rape (OSR). We have been receiving several calls from Mecmar owners to check our recommended drying temperatures for OSR reminding me of an HGCA research project I once had my attention drawn to.

The research project had the catchy title of, Survey of current harvesting, drying and storage practices with oilseed rape’ Armitage et al. 2005. It involved a survey of 101 OSR producers and revealed some very interesting information about on-farm OSR drying practices.

All farms expected to dry rapeseed and 65 (64%) used hot-air drying. Of the 65, 61 serviced their drier annually, one biannually and one never (hopefully it was his first season of owning one!). A surprisingly high 13 farmers (21%) had experienced a fire in the dryer while drying OSR.

This high number of fire incidents may be the reason why crushers are increasingly wary of Continue reading ‘Oilseed rape drying temperatures for Mecmar mobile batch grain driers’

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New Mecmar Super Range mobile batch grain driers arrive in the UK

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The first new Mecmar Super Range grain driers have just arrived in the UK. The Super Range was first manufactured by Mecmar in the 1980s and has been revived this season. It is a small capacity mobile batch grain drier with a simple and robust design that retains the high level of specification featured on the entire Mecmar range.

The Mecmar Super Range has been re-designed and put back into production to meet the demand of two key customers in the UK:

  • Smaller arable farms looking to on farm drying to maximise the value of their product before sale
  • Livestock farms using on farm drying to minimise operational costs associated with producing and storing their own feed

The Mecmar Super Range features a drier with a 7 tonne capacity and a larger machine with a 10 tonne capacity. The range is generally suitable for farms drying up to and around Continue reading ‘New Mecmar Super Range mobile batch grain driers arrive in the UK’

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How mobile batch grain driers have changed

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I recently came across a book called Drying and Storing Combinable Crops by K. A. McLean, it was published in 1980. A small section (one and half pages in fact) is dedicated to mobile batch grain driers. It is a fantastic indicator of the changes in the UK market in the last 30 years. It also offers some very good advice that is still as true today as it was back then.  I will briefly reflect on some of the more interesting points it raises.

When the book was written Mecmar was starting to produce their first prototype machines and the UK market was dominated by the likes of Continue reading ‘How mobile batch grain driers have changed’

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Fuel selection for mobile batch grain driers – Part 2

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I will start my second post on fuel economy by reiterating the most important point in my previous post. Comparing the cost per litre of different fuels is not a direct indication of which is the most economical.  In my last post I focused on the operational cost of different fuels. It demonstrated a startling difference in fuel costs. In this second post I will try to demonstrate how the most economical fuel for your farm may be deduced.

The selection of the most economical fuel must consider capital costs as well as operational costs. Capital costs include such things as Continue reading ‘Fuel selection for mobile batch grain driers – Part 2′

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