Martin Lishman’s crop storage innovations for optimal post-harvest success
21st August 2023
There’s much to be said about the balancing act of harvesting in such unpredictable weather. When the skies are clear you can guarantee the first thing on farmers’ minds is getting their combines and trailers rolling again, before the next spell of rain hits. Yet, within this intricate choreography of agricultural expertise, lies a reality that can determine the success or failure of the entire process, a robust post-harvest strategy.
The MiniTemp Monitor and probe is all that’s needed to start monitoring temperatures.
As our climate continues to be more unpredictable, the need for efficient ventilation and monitoring of stored crops in the first weeks of storage is critical for ensuring grain quality is maintained. It is at this time where sudden changes in storage conditions can spell disaster for the entire crop.
Drawing upon nearly 50 years’ experience in grain storage technology, crop storage specialists Martin Lishman Ltd have crafted an extensive array of crop quality and grain storage solutions. In direct response to industry demands and changes, the Martin Lishman line-up stands as a firm ally to farmers in their effort to preserve high grain quality whilst also reducing energy and labour costs.
The company’s industry-leading agri-tech innovations include the award-winning Barn Owl Wireless automatic crop monitoring system. Along with the UK’s number one crop cooling system, Pile-Dry and FloorVent Pedestals and Fans – a combination that reigns supreme in crop cooling systems in the UK.
Here’s Martin Lishman’s top 5 tips to help prepare your post-harvest strategy:
Remember to monitor temperatures
High temperatures pose a threat to grain quality, necessitating a stringent monitoring schedule to ensure consistent low temperatures throughout the store.
Martin Lishman offers a diverse range of grain temperature monitoring solutions tailored to any budget. Anchored by the well-known MiniTemp handheld temperature monitor, the line-up embraces innovation with the MiniTemp Blue, its Bluetooth-enabled counterpart, and the recently introduced AgroLog, a wireless temperature probe with the ability to monitor moisture levels. For the ultimate monitoring solution, the company’s Barn Owl Wireless takes centre stage – a cutting-edge wireless monitoring and automatic fan control system designed to streamline the crop store management process.
Check out Martin Lishman’s: 4 ways to monitor your grain temperatures
Add automatic control to your cooling system
The integration of an automatic fan controller brings a multitude of benefits. By intelligently turning on and off cooling fans to make best use of ambient air conditions, cooling times are significantly reduced and a minimum of 40% reduction in energy costs is achieved. Plus, there is the bonus of reducing trips to the store to manually turn fans on and off, or simply avoiding forgetting to do so. Martin Lishman has been at the forefront of fan controller design for 25 years and now offers a wide choice of controllers dependent on the customers’ requirements.
Martin Lishman automatic fan controllers take the guesswork out of turning cooling fans on and off.
Adding additional fans
Improving the effectiveness of a pedestal cooling system can be as straightforward as just adding more fans. While it’s common practice to swap fans among pedestals as the situation demands, this approach inadvertently slows down the cooling process and necessitates more frequent temperature checks. Using one fan per pedestal ensures the cooling power is instantly available when needed and removes the likelihood of grain hotspots or forgetting to move fans around. Martin Lishman’s pedestal fans have been the number one choice for farmers for the past 48+ years. Their latest Green Pile-Dry Cooling Fans are the fastest most energy efficient low volume grain cooling fans on the market.
Martin Lishman Pile-Dry Pedestals and Fans are the most powerful low volume crop ventilation system available.
Be ready for hot spots
Combatting hot spots has never been easier. Martin Lishman’s Trouble-Dry aeration spears tackle hot spots by simply screwing the spear into the heap and using one of their high output green fans to suck cool air out of the affected area. They are ideal for a last-minute cooling solution.
Martin Lishman Trouble-Dry spears effortlessly screw into the affected area to suck out the hot air.
Consistent quality control
Achieving top-notch grain quality relies on more than just good ventilation. Making sure the store conditions are suitable by conducting regular checks can help catch problems early. Martin Lishman provides a range of equipment for crop quality testing, including insect traps to detect the presence of insects, sampling spears for moisture testing or lorry load profile sampling, ambient air measurement devices, and accurate moisture meters – most notably, the well-regarded Protimeter Grainmaster, which was voted most accurate in a user survey.
Martin Lishman supplies the UK’s most popular moisture meter, the Grainmaster i2.
The Martin Lishman team have seen customers transform their crop stores, increase cooling efficiency, and obtain a higher quality crop. For more information on Martin Lishman’s crop storage equipment and for advice on optimising your crop store, visit www.martinlishman.com.
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