Better grain prices mean that this could be a good time to update ageing grain handling and drying equipment.

But a shortage of installers – plus an increased likelihood of needing to get planning permission – means that you need to get everything ordered in good time.

That was the view of many of the grain drier manufacturers at the UKgrain event at the Newark Showground earlier this month.



Michael Callaghan from UK grain handling equipment manufacturer Perry of Oakley (which has a joint marketing agreement with drier, milling equipment and oil-press specialist Alvan Blanch) points out that most grain driers are installed by subcontractors and that there is currently a shortage of skilled installers.

That means some projects could be delayed by several weeks.

Delays are also possible because of  the increasing likelihood of having to get planning permission if a new building or extension is needed to house the new drier.

Sales are up by 10-20% this year, he adds – a welcome change after 10 years in which low grain prices meant new drier sales across the industry were very sluggish.

This growth in sales was echoed by Charles White at North Yorkshire drier maker Allmet. He says orders started to improve at the beginning of 2007 and that the firm already has seven driers being installed for the 2008 harvest.

A big part of the upsurge is due to higher grain prices, he adds, but the underlying reasons are a continuing desire to boost grain plant throughputs.

“Many of the driers on farms around the UK were installed 20 years or more ago when combine outputs were typically 4-6t/hr or maybe 10t/hr for a bigger machine,” he says. “Now many combines have outputs of 30t/hr or else the farm is using contractors with big machines.”

Andrew Buesnel from Hampshire-based grain drier and handling firm BDC also reports that the level of enquiries for new driers and conveyors is the highest for 10 years. He says that many farmers are looking at continuous flow driers to get more grain into a given size of store.

“With on-floor storage where drying is by ducts, you’re often limited to 3m depth of grain at 20% moisture or 4.5m at 16 or 17%. Otherwise, you can’t physically get the air through. But if you are drying the corn as it comes into the store, you can store at greater depths.”

With all farmers wanting to be able to ‘tip and run’ to avoid holding up the combine, there’s also a lot of interest in extra-big intake pits with automatically-controlled feed to the drier.

Not surprisingly, all the current orders and enquiries are for big-throughput driers, he says, typically 30, 45 or 60t/hr.

Some involve new equipment going into an existing store, typically costing £200,000 installed. Others involve a new store and equipment at anywhere between £350,000 and £400,000.

Equipment that caught our eye:

(1) Danagri pedestrian-controlled grain stirrer

Danagri’s latest grain stirrer comes in three auger lengths, 80cm, 120cm and 180cm, and is designed to deal with localised hotspots and crusting in on-floor stores or else for agitating the whole store. The operator walks backwards with it at a steady walking pace, usually at 1m-width runs. Cost is £1500-£1800.

(2) Griffith Elder weighbridge

Suffolk firm Griffith Elder reports that its on-farm weighbridge sales are on the rise again after a 10-year lull. One reason is falling costs thanks to new technology and easier installation. A new weighbridge in 1981 cost £30,000; now you can buy a 15m, 50t ready-built weighbridge that can be dropped on to level concrete for £15,000 including installation and five year’s maintenance. It takes 20 seconds to weigh a load.

(3) Minibatt grain sample harvester

Rubbing out grain samples from the field by hand for a moisture test is a pain, so it’s no surprise that Gloucestershire firm Agricultural Supply Services is selling a lot of its £350 Minibatt sample harvester. This hand-held battery-powered device uses a mini stripper header to do the job at the rate of 100g/minute, thereby making it feasible to segregate crops according to moisture, protein level or Hagberg.