A new innovative wireless system for monitoring the condition of stored grain has been introduced by Farmex, the Reading-based company specialising in farm energy and control systems.
Heart of the system is a sturdy 2.0 m long grain lance which will measure temperature and relative humidity and give a calculated moisture content to an accuracy of 0.4 per cent. It is self-calibrating and does not need regular re-setting.
A particular and unique feature, however, is that it can be used to continually monitor and chart changes in the grain and this can be transmitted to a laptop and logged for reference, enabling the farmer or store operator to check easily what’s happening over a period of time. An alert system can be incorporated to give an early warning of problems. This can be linked to a ventilation controls so that remedial action can be started automatically.
The lance is battery-operated enabling it to be moved around without cables to cause obstructions. Suitable for any type of grain, the basic lance costs £215. A simple data capture and charting program can be put together as an entry level system for monitoring farm stores for less than £1,500, excluding laptop while a more sophisticated logger system offering a more flexible approach for a typical farm store would cost £2,345.
The number of lances depends upon the size of the store, but one every 10 sq m is a general recommendation
"Because the lances are wireless the cost of installation is extremely low. There is only a modest set-up charge," commented Farmex managing director, Hugh Crabtree.
"With grain becoming an increasingly valuable commodity — to livestock farmers as well as arable farmers — even a small store of 1,000 tonnes could justify monitoring grain to ensure that it is kept in peak condition," he added.
Note to Editors: Farmex has been supplying control systems — both hardware and software — to the agricultural industry for nearly 30 years. It has built a reputation for the reliability of its systems under adverse conditions.
www.farmex.com
