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.
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’
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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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’
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
Mecmar offer outstanding product quality and an extensive support service, whilst maintaining our focus solely on the grain drying industry. For these reasons we have rapidly grown into, what we believe to be, the leading mobile batch grain drier in Great Britain and Ireland.
This blog has been developed to share our knowledge, expertise and opinions. We hope you will find it a rich source of information, advice and guidance to our industry, products and services.
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.
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.
Harvest 2010 is looking a bit gloomy at the moment, the 
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. 
Following the interest in the previous post on 
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 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.
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.
I will start my second post on fuel economy by reiterating the most important point in my previous post. 