Archive for the 'Grain drying industry' Category

HGCA Grain Storage Guide 3rd Edition is released

Published on December 5, 2011 in Drying Advice and Grain drying industry. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

The HGCA has now released its most recent edition of their go to guide for grain storage. The Grain Storage Guide for Cereals and Oilseeds is an invaluable resource when considering grain drying and storage options.

Safe, effective grain storage is key to assuring crop quality and helping prevent loss of premiums through claims and rejections.

The economic benefits of storage are clear. The capability of storing grain for a November delivery will attract a £4/tonne premium over the harvest price, with May movement giving a further £7/tonne. Understanding the costs of storage is crucial. Grain drying is key factor in effective storage and the best practise guidance laid out in this booklet is endorsed by DEFRA, the NFU and FERA among others.

HGCA’s Grain storage guide was first published in 1999 and has become a key reference for most assurance schemes. This third edition of HGCA’s grain storage guide combines information from the previous edition and the results of a five-year Defra and industry-funded LINK research project in a new risk management approach to grain storage based on HACCP (hazrd analysis and critical control point) principles.

The guide recognises that achieving target moisture content within the shortest time possible is necessary to prevent the risk of mycotoxin formation and quality degradation. It looks are the various ways that this can be achieved. The full document can be downloaded here.

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Mecmar grain driers manufacturer attains ISO 9001:2008 status

Published on February 18, 2011 in Grain drying industry, Manufacturer and Who are Mecmar. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Last month it was confirmed that the manufacturer of Mecmar grain driers, Mecmar SPA, achieved the prestigious ISO 9001:2008 accreditation. Mecmar are the only mobile grain drier manufacturer to currently hold this internationally recognised certification. The ISO standard requires the implementation of quality management systems that are designed to help a company ensure the needs of customers and other stakeholders are met.

What ISO certification means

The ISO 9001:2008 accreditation is gained through putting in place manufacturing control systems which meet the high standards of the International Organisation for Standardisation. This involves stringent levels of quality management throughout the design and manufacturing process of Mecmar grain driers.

Furthermore, independent confirmation of this achievement and periodic re-assessment is co Continue reading ‘Mecmar grain driers manufacturer attains ISO 9001:2008 status’

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Scare’m – The self launching bird scaring kite

Published on January 5, 2011 in Case Studies and Grain drying industry. 0 Comments Tags: , .
For this post I am going for a slight change of subject. Rather than talking about grain driers today I want to have a look at something a little bit different. The Scare’m self launching bird scaring kite was the brainchild of farmer John Galloway. Pigeons and other birds can cause significant damage to crops, the Scare’m is a bird scaring solution that is affordable, virtually maintenance free and highly effective.

The Scare’m self launching kite is a response to the shortcomings of other bird scarers used on John’s farm. Gas guns were found to be cumbersome, upset the neighbours and proved a little too desirable for thieves. Wind-powered contraptions could be fragile and the traditional kites, while effective, were quickly damaged as they frequently crashed. So in 2008, after several years of rigorous development, the Scare’m self launching bird scaring kite went on sale.  Continue reading ‘Scare’m – The self launching bird scaring kite’

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Mecmar grain driers offer reliable return on investment

Published on December 8, 2010 in Buying a grain drier, Grain drying industry and Unique Features. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .
Below is a short piece of editorial for an upcoming LAMMA preview in the Farmers Guide. In this current period of healthy grain prices I believe careful thought must be given to the economic performance of an investment in grain drying capacity over its entire operational life. The length of a driers operational life has the most significant impact upon its return on investment.

Many factors will affect the price of wheat over the coming months. The unpredictable affects of weather on global crop production and quality impact upon global supply and demand balances. These then influence government decisions on trade interventions, the primary cause of the recent upturn in the grain market.

Continue reading ‘Mecmar grain driers offer reliable return on investment’

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Impact of new red diesel on mobile grain driers

Published on November 25, 2010 in Drier Options, Drying Advice, Grain drying industry and Manufacturer. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .
From 1 January 2011 diesel is changing. A new European directive will apply to the grade of gasoil that can be used in non-road mobile machinery (tractors, other agricultural equipment, forklifts and portable generators). From this date you will no longer be allowed to use gasoil with a sulphur content greater than 10ppm (parts per million). It appears that despite suggestions that grain driers will be exempt from using this new fuel there could be effects due to the fuel changeover on all mobile grain drier owners.

The new fuel will effectively be white diesel that contains a red dye but the same gasoil duty will still apply (no huge price rise). This fuel as well as having a reduced sulphur content may also contain up to 7% biodiesel. While making the new red diesel more environmentally friendly there are some potential drawbacks:  Continue reading ‘Impact of new red diesel on mobile grain driers’

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ADAS Harvest Report 2010 – a bit wetter and a bit longer than normal

Published on October 18, 2010 in Drying Advice and Grain drying industry. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .
The final cereals in Scotland were harvested this weekend after some terrible weather in the past three weeks. I spoke to one Mecmar owner at the end of last week who claimed to be now ”catching it dry at a little over 25% moisture”. There are very few place in the UK where a grain drier works harder than in Aberdeenshire. With harvest now at a close we can see how we have all got in the ADAS Harvest Report 2010.

It was published 30th September when the majority of harvesting was completed. In summary it concludes: Continue reading ‘ADAS Harvest Report 2010 – a bit wetter and a bit longer than normal’

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Mecmar Grain Driers building up to UK Grain

Published on October 7, 2010 in Buying a grain drier, Drier Options, Grain drying industry and Press. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .
The latest edition of most agricultural magazines contain special features on grain drying and storage. Much of this has been spurred on by the popularity of UK grain, to be held 3rd November at the East of England Showground. The exhibition promises to be an excellent opportunity to examine the entire grain handling industry in one place.

As part of this build up we have been giving interviews to various publications. These have addressed a range of subjects from the most recent innovations at Mecmar to our opinions on general industry trends. We have seen articles published in both Anglia Farmer and Farmers Guide. However, the article of particular interest was produced by Continue reading ‘Mecmar Grain Driers building up to UK Grain’

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Mecmar UK – mobile grain drier technical review

Published on October 5, 2010 in Grain drying industry, Manufacturer and Who are Mecmar. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .
Throughout the year Mecmar organise Technical Reviews for its engineering staff and accredited service engineers from around the UK. The reviews offer an opportunity to focus on a specific aspects of the grain driers. They allow those supporting Mecmar grain driers to extend their technical knowledge and understanding. It also presents the opportunity for practical experience to be shared within the network of Mecmar engineers.

Yesterday saw the most recent technical review held at Mecmar’s main UK depot near Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Early October is a particularly good time to have a reveiw as the harvest workload is still fresh in the mind. Continue reading ‘Mecmar UK – mobile grain drier technical review’

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Angus Cereals – does central storage maximise financial returns for farmers?

Published on September 29, 2010 in Case Studies, Drier Options, Grain drying industry and Press. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .
Angus Cereals is a grain storage and drying facility planned for construction at the port of Montrose. It will serve cereal growers in the Perth, Angus and Kincardine areas. Yesterday, in the Scottish national and regional press, it made an appeal for more cereal growers to invest in the project in the next fortnight to ensure Stage 1 of the project proceeds as planned. The articles illustrate the many advantages for farmers of investing in central storage, though I feel that the economic reasons for investment are a little less clear.

The advantages detailed are numerous but essentially relate to offering farmers peace of mind in post harvest. Advantages included; no need to arrange labour for grain drying or transport, drying and storage does not interfere with other on farm activity, no need to worry about rejected loads and, once in store, the grain will be professionally marketed by Openfield, the UK’s largest farm-owned grain business. The system advocates crops going off farm immediately after harvesting and straight to Angus Cereals.

There is no doubt that this would mean less work for the farmer but do these proposed “operational efficiencies” result in an improved economic return for the producer? Regardless of wheat prices, be they favourable as they are now or poor as they were only last season, is the most prudent business decision to add the maximum value to a crop on-farm before sale or have the entire process managed through investing in a central storage scheme like Angus Cereals? Continue reading ‘Angus Cereals – does central storage maximise financial returns for farmers?’

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Harvest 2010 trends – The increasing batch capacity of mobile grain driers

Published on September 13, 2010 in Buying a grain drier, Drier Options and Grain drying industry. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .
Over the last 10 years we have seen a steady increase in the average batch capacity of Mecmar Grain Driers in Britain and Ireland. This season has really seen our D 18 T drier cement itself as the most popular machine in our range. This increase in mobile grain drier output has been demanded by farmers as a response to several drivers.

In the past, machines with a 12 tonne batch capacity were by far and away the most popular. This size grain drier matched the combine outputs of the day and were a sound option for grain management. We believe the increased demand for larger batch driers is a result of several factors: Continue reading ‘Harvest 2010 trends – The increasing batch capacity of mobile grain driers’

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