Ergot drives Waterton Hall Farm to install vibrating sieve cleaner and colour sorte. Contract drying, cleaning and sorting provides additional revenue stream

Following issues with ergot, Harry Strawson who farms at Waterton Hall Farm, near Scunthorpe, contacted McArthur BDC to discuss possible solutions to ensure that he could add value to his crop by cleaning and sorting grain on farm.

"I had previously successfully worked with the McArthur BDC team when increasing my grain storage and drying capabilities," said Strawson. "They had designed a new store and installed the required equipment to meet my needs at that time. But, the challenge of dealing with ergot meant that I had to have a rethink."

Strawson initially talked to McArthur BDC's grain cleaning and sorting product specialist about installing a colour sorter to handle just his own crop. But Strawson quickly understood that installing a larger sorter and a new fine cleaner would deliver increased revenue opportunities, at the same time as enabling him to leverage the investment in his existing drying and storage facilities, by offering contract drying, cleaning, separating and grain sorting services. Strawson opted to install a JK Machinery VibroMAX vibrating sieve cleaner and the biggest 10 chute Bühler SPARK Pro colour sorter.

"McArthur BDC's expertise in delivering upgraded cost-effective grain processing solutions that meet their customers' requirements quickly became apparent. The team immediately understood the need to integrate the new equipment with that already installed in the existing plant, so that I was able to maximise the return on my original investment," said Strawson.

Grain now enters the plant via the existing intake and the plant's control panel programmed so that it:

1.        Goes straight to store

2.        Is transported to the previously installed Aagaard pre-cleaner and Svegma 40tph continuous flow drier. Once dried, grain is taken to store. If the Svegma is full, grain is taken to the existing storage bins until it can be fed into the drier.

Grain which Strawson is storing on behalf of farmers or grain merchants goes from the intake through the Aagaard pre-cleaner into storage bins, from where it is taken to the VibroMAX vibrating sieve cleaner for fine cleaning, before being fed through the SPARK Pro colour sorter.

As grain is passed through the VibroMAX before being colour sorted this enables the SPARK Pro to handle up to 50tph – each of its 10 chutes able to cope with up to 5tph.

"The capacity of the SPARK Pro means that we can sort grain which arrives by lorry in around 40 minutes. The driver tips into the intake, and then reverses into the bay and can then take a break. Once his load has been cleaned and sorted it is discharged directly into the lorry and is ready to go!" explained Strawson.

The existing Skandia Elevator grain handling equipment has been extended to include 2 x belt and bucket elevators and 1 x chain and flight conveyor to transport grain to and from the VibroMAX and the SPARK Pro.

The Waterton Hall Farm's upgraded grain processing plant represents a big infrastructure investment which includes a new weighbridge and office.

"We can remotely access the plant's control panel from the office and see exactly what is happening, control the route we want the grain to take and make any necessary tweaks," said Strawson.

"Drawing on the knowledge and expertise of the McArthur BDC team means that we can add real value to our own crop by fine cleaning, separating and colour sorting on farm."

With the capacity of processing grain at up to 50tph, and having obtained TASCC assurance, Waterton Hall Farm now has access to an all-important additional revenue stream by offering contract grain processing services to both farmers and grain merchants, through its new enterprise WHF Clean Grain.

"I can't overestimate the importance of working with a supplier of grain processing solutions, which is much more than just a supplier. The McArthur BDC's team's comprehensive knowledge and experience was invaluable in ensuring we installed the equipment that met our individual requirements," said Strawson. "It's understanding of how to integrate new equipment with that already in place was crucial. We now have a future proof processing plant that is already helping to deliver a return on investment. A win win!"