The Global Miller: September 2018

September 30, 2018

Iowa State University professor receives 2018 Sukup Global Food Security Award

The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE) has presented the annual Sukup Global Food Security award to Dr Manjit K. Misra, Director of the Seed Science Centre at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa.

2018 Sukup Global Food Security Award
Image credit: Sukup Manufacturing Co.

The award recognises distinguished contributions to global food security through research, outreach, and teaching in post-harvest seed science, technology, and policy. Dr Misra received the award in July at ASABE's annual international meeting in Detroit, Michigan. The Seed Science Centre is the world's largest public facility devoted to seed technology, and Misra has had a transformational impact on food security by applying engineering principles to seed technology and systems.

Read the full article on the Milling and Grain website, HERE.

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

Bühler launches digital service MoisturePro for optimal food and feed drying

At Microsoft Ignite, Bühler officially launched MoisturePro™, a cloud-based digital service that drives significant improvements in yield and reduces energy costs and the environmental footprint of thermal processing in the food and feed industry.

MoisturePro moisture control unit
Image credit: Bühler

Harnessing the power of cloud connectivity, it can deliver a return on investment of USD $300,000, translating to an annual energy saving of USD $20,000. MoisturePro is just one of a suite of digital services available on Bühler Insights. Built on Microsoft's Azure, Bühler Insights is one of the first cloud platform for the food and feed processing industries.

Read the full article on the Milling and Grain website, HERE.

Taiwan technologies take centre stage

“I sincerely hope that Asia-Tech Expo will grow each year to assist Taiwan companies find more overseas business opportunities,” says Tuti Zhi Li, Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of Council of Agriculture, when opening the second co-located exhibition that brought together Livestock Taiwan Expo and Aquaculture Taiwan 2018 with Asia Agri-Tech Expo and Forum in Taipei on July 26, 2018.

That vision is being realised as this annual show – now in its second year – is proving to be an exciting attraction.

Held in Taipei’s World Trade Centre which is in the heart of the city alongside the famous 101 Tower which is a landmark that clearly projects the country’s progressive attitude towards technology and its development. And no more was this evident than in the stand holders’ products at this small but burgeoning event.

A broad brush
The organisers are keen to develop as broad a spectrum event as possible to attract not only local buyers but also international interests.

“We are aiming to become the most important trading portal for agriculture; livestock and aquaculture in the Asia-Pacific region,” says Chris Eve, Senior Vice-President of UBM Asia.

By bringing together of these two event organisers - Asia Agri-Tech Expo and Forum joining for the first time with Livestock and Aquaculture Taiwan Expo and Forums 2018 - is providing international buyers with a comprehensive B-2-B trading location. The event, although small in floor-area compared to some, was a concentration of specialist interests. Over three days in late-July 2018 these co-located shows attracted over 14, 000 visitors from 34 countries.

This year’s combined event attracted over 200 exhibitors and show-cased leading technological developments with product brands on display from over 25 countries via either their representative partners or through subsidiary companies located in Taiwan or within the region.

In addition to the Animal Health Pavilion, which was carried forward from the first edition in 2017 and which showcased feed, feed additives, market updates on antibiotic-free farming practices and health management products, this sector featured the largest display of livestock and poultry machinery in Taiwan yet.

Feed companies are finding their way to this show and establishing relationships with the organisers for specific booth locations on the exhibition floor. Buhler China was exhibition for the first time and expressed positive comments on the class and quality of the visitor attending their booth.

Read the full article in the Milling and Grain magazine online, HERE.

CSI company profile

The 20,000 m2 factory and the office of the ÇSİ, is equipped with the highest quality engineering and producing technology.

Their goal is to sell our products using the ÇSİ brand in the domestic and abroad markets; presenting the highest quality and service, combined with our experiences they have gained over the years.

All of the equipment they use in the production of our silos have ISO 9001:2000 certificate and supplies all the requirements of the Quality Management System.

ÇSİ has become an expert in the production of the silos and equipment, in their highest technology equipped institutions.

Having adequate technology, manpower and substructure, ÇSİ has an impressive place in the market.

Their main attribute is the capability of doing the montage of the silos, which have different diameter and tonnages, their carrying equipment and the concrete bottoms at the shortest duration as possible.

This attribute is the root of their success.

ÇSİ has proved its difference with its experienced quality control unit and Ar-Ge unit.

ÇSİ uses modern machines and equipment in all the steps of the production and its engineering team which has the highest technology and quality, analyses the necessities of the customers continuously.

The experienced engineering team in the Ar-Ge department, uses the latest computer programmes and techniques while preparing the project designs, developments, patterns, drawings and the production systems.

ÇSİ is always continuing its search of quality

The basic components of their quality of production is the necessities of our customers combining with the highest technology.

The main aim of ÇSİ is to improve its success day by day and give the customers the continuous and the best quality of product and service.

Visit the website HERE.

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.

For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

September 28, 2018

Pedal power gets behind farming charity

by Matthew Holmes, Features Editor, Milling and Grain

The UK’s Grain and Feed Merchants have pulled together to raise a significant amount for the Farming Community Network (FCN), by cycling in a relay around the principal feed mills, ports, grain stores and supply trade businesses sites in the UK.

A casual discussion after a meeting of the Bristol Grain and Feed Trade Association snowballed into a major fund-raising effort, eventually involving 617 riders from over 90 businesses visiting over 170 feed, grain and port sites and cycling a staggering 3720 miles – without a single accident or injury.

“The supply trade is part of the chain we all refer to as ‘Agriculture’ and only exists because of the farming industry,” explains Richard Cooksley, one of the organisers. “With the considerable economic and political pressures that many farming businesses are increasingly finding themselves under, the discussion between a group of us at the Bristol dinner turned to whether we could do something significant and tangible to support the farming industry, and those who end up with serious problems. The outcome was the cycle relay. But we had no idea just how large it would grow or what a significant undertaking it would be.”

Working together with GAFTA
The Grain and Feed Trade Association (GAFTA) worked with the UK Grain and Feed Trade Associations, which are an integral part of UK farming community, to show their support for the UK’s farmers.

“The aim of the relay was to help raise awareness of the issues facing farmers, while at the same time collecting funds to provide on-going support for all members of the farming community and their families and to have a bit of fun,” Mr Cooksley continues.

All monies raised are being donated to FCN, SRABI and Rural support NI, charities that support the farming community through times of stress, anxiety and depression which can affect both farm households and farm businesses. At FCN, a team of 400 volunteers, many of whom are involved in farming, work with farmers and support them as they seek to resolve their difficulties. Over 6000 people per year benefit from FCN’s support.

About the Farming Community Network (FCN)
Since it was established in 1995, FCN has helped thousands of people deal with a variety of issues, including financial difficulties, animal disease, mental health and family disputes. They are anticipating a spike of enquiries in the light of the current drought.

“As a charity, FCN relies solely on donations in order to continue its much-needed support of the farming community,” Richard continues. “Currently it costs approximately £1,500 a day to run FCN, but this is expected to rise in the coming years as British farming faces deep uncertainty about its future. So, if we achieve our target it will make a huge contribution to FCN’s operations and send a powerful message about the unique bond between farmers and the supply trade.”

The relay was an ambitious project but received phenomenal support from across the industry. The route needed constant revision as more companies put their hands up to participate as the start date approached.

Read the full article in the Milling and Grain magazine online, HERE.

PTN company profile

Pelleting Technology Netherlands (PTN), is a specialist in the development, production and servicing of pelletisers and related machinery for the production of animal feed

Their products can be used for a wide range of applications. Since 1974 PTN has been active on a global scale in the development, engineering, production, sale and servicing of pelletisers and related machinery for the compound feed, recycling and biomass industries.

Thanks to its ongoing research and development based on demand from the market PTN has various patents to its name.

Following the first patent taken out on the super rotor sifter, over the last 40 years PTN has also developed and patented the automatic roller adjuster, the unique mould quick-change system, the mix compress, the BOA compactor, the hygiene concept (TCS & RTB) and in 2016 the High Effient Progress Monoroll. Innovations that now still contribute to the company’s continuity.

Quality and reliability have been guaranteed for many years by the ISO 9001 certificate and constantly monitored as part of ongoing improvement.

On 1 January 2013 the company joined the Triott Group, thus taking a major step towards a global presence as an innovative company.

Visit the PTN website, HERE.

September 27, 2018

A bedrock of support for Port Constanta’s new grain terminal

by Roger Gilbert, Publisher, Milling and Grain

Roger Gilbert

“Feeding the world - We are a part of the agriculture supply chain with the challenge of feeding the world” - Andreas Zivy, President and Chairman of the Swiss-based Ameropa Group

The Danube and Black Sea Region is expected to consolidate its position as the world’s second largest grain and oilseeds exporting region - after the USA - and is projected to move over 146 million tonnes of total exports by 2030, up 26 percent on current levels.

Grain and oilseed exports from the Danube-EU Black Sea Port will account for 30 million tonnes of that total, and the completion of the 200,000-tonne silo storage and handling facility by Ameropa’s Chimpex Port Facility in Constanta, Romania - completed a year ago - will play a significant role in realising that potential.

According to the Ameropa Group, which is the largest grain handling and exporting company in the Danube region, the outlook is for an additional 9.2 million tonnes from 4.8 million tonnes of wheat and 4.4 million tonnes of corn exports can be expected.

“This optimistic scenario is also supported by Rabobank and will most likely come from production expansion in both Serbia and Hungary, provided the navigability of the Danube, which is currently limited throughout the year by either low water levels, floods or ice, can be improved,” says Andreas Zivy, President and Chairman of the Swiss-based Ameropa Group which owns the new facilities at Chimpex.

“This is an amazing turnaround because prior to 20 years ago, when the Black Sea region was a major importing region for cereals in communist times,” he adds.

Dredging works on the Bulgarian Danube side have already begun, although Serbia, not being an EU member state, might delay progress.

Deep water
The deep-water port of Constanta is seen as the main hub and while best suited to capture the export potential from its hinterland, sourcing materials from Romania, Hungary, Serbia and Bulgaria and bring them into the harbour via the Danube-Constanta connection canal it is the imports from Asia that should not be overlooked. Constanta can handle Panamax vessels of up to 65,000 tonnes.

Romania grain production
“Agriculture accounts for 4.6 percent of Romania’s GDP which is well above the EU average and it employs a staggering 23 percent of the country’s workforce,” says Mr Constantin Vasile, the General Manager of Ameropa Grains in Romania.

Much of that is still subsistence-based farming with a significant proportion of land in small holdings in private hands. However, modern agriculture has been making rapid progress and while average crop yields are still roughly 40 percent below the EU for wheat and 50 percent for corn the gap is closing “and the potential in this country is massive.” Over the past decade the country has seen a rapid increase in its grain and oilseed exports by four million tonnes to 12 million tonnes annually and this is expected to reach 22 million tonnes over the next decade.

Romania is enjoying an increasing rise in grain and oilseed revenues that has risen from one billion Euros to three billion Euros over the past decade, says Mr Vasile.

Read the full article in Milling and Grain magazine online, HERE.

International Association of Operative Millers call for papers for the product showcase for annual EXPO

Millers are being asked to submit their products for the 123^rdannual IAOM Conference and Expo in Denver.

Organisers of the International Association of Operative Millers (IAOM) say they are looking for approximately six products that are either new and innovative or that have a new application.

Companies submitting their products must be exhibiting in the 2019 EXPO.

The IAOM Annual Conference & Expo is the premier educational event for grain milling and seed processing professionals.

The annual event gathers milling and allied trade professionals from around the world for three days of education, networking and fellowship.

Educational and technical programs presented at the conference assist millers in improving yields, productivity, customer satisfaction and safety.

The Expo takes place in Denver Colorado between April 15-19, 2019.

A spokesman for the Program Committee said: “Again this year, attendees at all six of the Product Showcase events will vote on "Best of Show" a highlight of last year's Expo.”

The deadline for Product Showcase submissions is December 7, 2018. Product Showcase presentations are ten minutes long and occur at the companies Expo Booth.

For more information please apply online

Andritz company profile

ANDRITZ Feed & Biofuel Technologies is one of the world’s leading suppliers of technologies, systems and services for advanced industrial equipment for the animal feed, aqua feed and pet food industries, and for the biofuel pelleting industry.

The ANDRITZ concept
Their production lines are based on a full program of well-proven process machinery and equipment in combination with inteted IT solutions that ensure easy operation, high plant efficiency, and full process traceability. All ANDRITZ equipment and solutions take account of the demand for reliable processing, cost efficiency, and uniform, high-quality feed and biomass products.

Products and solutions
When choosing products and solutions from ANDRITZ Feed & Biofuel Technologies, you will have a qualified and experienced partner with the ability to assist you all the way from the start to the finished product.

ANDRITZ offers
- Turnkey projects
- Single unit machines
- Technical consultancy
- Engineering services
- Local aftermarket service and support
- Key machinery and complete plant solutions

Visit the ANDRITZ website, HERE.

September 26, 2018

Accelerating the growth of a forgotten cereal

Agrasys is a spin-off of the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), located in Barcelona, and founded in 2005 by a group of scientists from the Institute of Sustainable Agriculture of Córdoba (IAS-CSIC) and professionals from the Agri-food sector.

The company is dedicated to contributing to society through the development of crops with added value for human consumption, like Tritordeum (www.tritordeum.com).

Its activity has been mainly focussed on the development and commercialisation of Tritordeum since 2006, when it obtained the rights of exploitation of this cereal, but also it is developing other projects directed to the sector of natural functional foods and crops for biomass and forage. In its shareholding are two venture capital companies: Uninvest, since 2008, and Inveready, since 2015.

www.tritordeum.com

The company in recent events has been chosen in PepsiCo’s Nutrition Greenhouse Program. They will receive EU€20,000 and expert advice to promote and accelerate its growth. Agrasys has been the only Spanish start-up selected by PepsiCo within the 2018 incubation programme in the field of nutrition and wellness in Europe.

This start-up is one of the 10 finalists of the 2018 second edition of PepsiCo’s Nutrition Greenhouse Programme. This programme was launched in 2017 to support emerging companies in the food and beverage sector.

This year, PepsiCo offers EU€20,000 in funding to the 10 participating companies, as well as the opportunity to work with PepsiCo mentors and experts to accelerate their businesses.

Agrasys, with its sustainable and more digestible cereal Tritordeum has been one of the innovative nutrition brands chosen by the PepsiCo incubator. The finalists of this year were selected according to the quality of their products and their positioning, their focus on health and wellness, as well as their scalable business models.

“Being among the 10 finalists – out of 174 candidates – means great recognition for us within the food and beverage industry, regarding nutrition, wellness and health aspects”, says Verónica Guerra, Agrasys’ head of marketing and communication.

The remaining selected companies are from Israel, France, the UK, and Bulgaria. At the end of the programme, one of them will receive an additional EU€100,000 prize.

“Tritordeum’s potential is huge but we need to accelerate its growth. We will certainly take full advantage of this opportunity that PepsiCo gives us to continue the expansion of our cereal in Europe”, explains Ms Guerra.

Read the full article in the Milling and Grain magazine online, HERE.

Nutriad pursue growth in China

Global feeds additives producer Nutriad is targeting China with an updgrade of its production facilities and an investment in people and product development.

Nutriad, which is a leader in palatability, mycotoxin management and gut health solutions, was present at VIV China in Nanjing where it interacted with customers, distributors and key opinion leaders.

The delegation at Nanjing

" We can see clear trends in China that are shaping the demand for feed additive solutions like the ones Nutriad provides,” said Nutriad CEO Erik Visser. A reduction in the use of antibiotic growth promotors, driven by both consumers and government, will enhance the need for an alternative approach to gut health. Furthermore, the increasing pressure on farmer’s profits will demand an increased production efficiency, which can partly be obtained by an improved diet composition.

“Finally, the trade tensions between China and the USA put pressure on soybean pricing and might drive the producer to finding alternative protein sources.

“ Our palatability product offering helps producers ensure feed intake even when taste and/or quality of raw material in feed changes.”

N. Nutriad’s portfolio covers all species as well as the various life stages of each species. Traditionally strong in swine in China, the integration with Adisseo will increase its penetration in the poultry segment. Ruminant and aquaculture offer further opportunities for the multinational company, as its product range is backed by scientific research from leading universities.

“Not only because of the size of the market, but also because of the challenges Chinese producers face, we are confident that we can accelerate our growth in China with the practical solutions we offer and the local technical support available through our direct interaction with customers as well as via our extensive distributor network,” said Visser.

Erik Visser

N. Nutriad delivers products and services to over 80 countries through a network of own sales offices and distributors. Supported by 4 application laboratories and 5 manufacturing facilities on 3 continents. Find out more at www.nutriad.com

Novus company profile

Novus' scientific roots and history originate in the 1950s when St Louis, Missouri-based Monsanto Company began conducting livestock and poultry feed metabolism studies.

In 1959, one of its products received FDA approval as an animal feed additive, which helped launch the Monsanto division that would become Novus.

In an effort to focus on its core businesses - seed, herbicide and biotechnology - Monsanto sold its Feed Ingredients division to Mitsui & Co Ltd and Nippon Soda Co, Ltd. in 1991, setting Novus on its path of Health through Nutrition based on science.

With two products for the poultry industry and the vision of helping to feed the world affordable, wholesome food, Novus International was born.

At the time, this vision statement was considered a bold goal and some questioned how Novus could realistically make a contribution. Although Novus was a small, business-to-business company, we understood that our core knowledge of health and nutrition related to poultry could be beneficial to other species.

Since 1991, Novus has brought numerous products to the market, including more than 100 over the past decade, and developed product families including Methionine solutions, Trace Mineral solutions, Enzyme solutions, Eubiotics solutions and Feed Quality solutions.

Novus’s comprehensive portfolio provides a holistic approach to solutions, service and sustainability for poultry, swine, aquaculture and cattle.

MINTREX is a chelated trace mineral that optimises key production parameters above levels obtained by other chelated mineral sources, directly increasing customer profitability.

Only MINTREX can improve your bottom line by increasing salable meat, decreasing mortality, improving feed efficiency and improving immune response.

MINTREX chelated trace minerals combine ALIMET® feed supplement with an essential trace mineral in a two-to-one chelated molecule.

This protects the mineral from antagonists, allowing it to be more efficiently absorbed once reaching the small intestine. The result is greater bioavailability, digestive tract stability and a residual methionine effect that can reduce the required level of supplemental methionine per ton of feed.

Visit the website HERE.

September 25, 2018

SPACE 2018 welcomes 121 countries

SPACE 2018 took place from 11 to 14 September at Parc-Expo Rennes exhibition centre. Attendance levels were high, the weather was superb and once more, the quality of the show was excellent. The four-day event underlined the show’s international standing. It also served to highlight the strength of the agricultural industry in Northwest France. This month, the region played host to both the “Terre de Jim” French Young Farmers show and the SPACE exhibition, one of the leading international events for livestock professionals.

This year was the 32nd time that SPACE opened its doors to the industry. This time around, there were 1,410 exhibitors from 42 different countries and a total of 108,347 delegates from 121 countries around the world. In terms of French visitor numbers, there was a slight downturn on last year (-6.65%), but all things considered, attendance was satisfactory. This small dip was mainly due to the fact that corn silage harvesting took place a fortnight earlier than expected this year and therefore clashed with the show. International attendance was up slightly (by 2.8%), showing how SPACE has unique international appeal, despite the market being particularly competitive this year.
The exhibition was particularly strong this year in terms of international reach, its focus on innovation in working conditions and excellence in health and safety. Delegates came to Rennes from all over the world: India, Japan, China, Korea, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, North Africa and West Africa. Visitors from all these regions (and more!) were seen at “Planet Livestock”. It is important to underline the diversity of nationalities at SPACE because that’s what makes it stand out amongst other agricultural shows worldwide. For the first time this year, meetings were held for pig and poultry inter-professional associations from West Africa and France. They proved successful in turning theoretical discussions into reality and demonstrated how SPACE plays a key role in linking up livestock professionals from different parts of the world to enable future global developments.
Hosted by the Brittany Agricultural Chambers, the “Espace for the Future” zone featured an exhibition and highly-visual, practical demos on the solutions and planning required to improve working conditions for livestock farmers. One of the main aims of this zone was to make jobs in the industry more attractive, and the high number of visitors to the space shows just how important this is right now.

Once again, innovation was central to this year’s exhibition. There were 39 Innov’Space prize- winners and 5 of them were highly commended by the judging panel. Their achievements show how interested livestock farmers are in new solutions to improve working conditions, the wellbeing of animals, data management and more.
Excellence in health and safety was a topic that garnered a great deal of interest in a number of different areas such as animal presentations, talks, and livestock visits, for example. It is clear there’s a wealth of health and safety expertise across the industry.
There were also an unprecedented number of talks on the exhibition programme (almost one hundred). They covered a whole range of key topics for livestock professionals. Indeed, SPACE has become the ideal place to discuss and reflect upon the future of different industry sectors.
Our amazing livestock show was also particularly good this year. 750 animals were presented in total (200 sheep and 550 cattle across 13 different breeds). And France’s national competition for the Parthenaise cattle breed was held at SPACE for the first time this year. 70 animals featured in what proved to be a first-rate presentation. The Challenge France Prim ‘Holstein breed competition was also a raging success showed how SPACE has become a unique genetic showcase for such breeds.
Other SPACE 2018 highlights included official visits from Stéphane TRAVERT, the French Minister for Agriculture and Food, Richard FERRAND, President of the French National Assembly and Loïg CHESNAIS-GIRARD, President of the Regional Council of Brittany. We were given the opportunity to show these political leaders the high quality of the event and all the talks, stands and shows that are part of it. SPACE is proof that the agricultural industry is evolving rapidly at the moment. We could see this in the diverse range of stands this year and the attention given to their appearance. This change has been particularly noticeable this time around.
High attendance levels and the quality of this year’s show were evidence of the capability and commitment of industry professionals to continually adapt and evolve in response to the needs and expectations of society. The success of SPACE 2018 also reminds us how essential it is for all industry sectors to work together. This is crucial for maintaining and promoting the agricultural industry in the long-term and responding to demands for increasingly high levels of safety in livestock feeding.
The next SPACE exhibition will take place from Tuesday 10 to Friday 13 September 2019.

Bühler launches digital service MoisturePro to the cloud

Bühler has launched a digital service MoisturePro for optimal food and feed drying.
MoisturePro is a cloud based digital service that drives significant improvements in yield and reduces energy costs and the environmental footprint of thermal processing in the food and feed industry.Bühler launched the MoisturePro at Microsoft Ignite in Orlando and Uzwil in Switzerland today (September 24).
It harnesses the power of cloud connectivity and promises to deliver a return on investment of USD $300,000, translating to an annual energy saving of USD £20,000.
MoisturePro is one of a suite of digital services available on Bühler Insights.
Built on Microsoft’s Azure, Bühler Insights is one of the first cloud platforms for the feed and feed processing industries.

MoisturePro is now a reliable and proven service having been tested with customers in the Unites States.
“Leveraging the power of the Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud technology we can make our expertise available to our customers at every stage of the drying process,” said Paul McKeithan, Bühler’s Head of Digital Services.

Paul McKeithan

“The food and feed industries face the challenge of consistently achieving the precise level of moisture control for each of their products to meet requirements.
“MoisturePro uses Microsoft’s Azure IoT cloud platform technologies to build and intelligent drying solution with real-time, continuous moisture management.”
Data from moisture sensors is relayed to the dryer control software as the product is discharged through a chute.
Control algorithms immediately and continuously adjust production perameters so that the optimum moisture content is achieved and maintained throughout while ensuring food and feed safety.
Real-time data and dynamic reporting show meaningful corrections that support confident decision making.
MoisturePro reduces moisture deviation, improves dryer yield and reduces dryer energy consumption which is a significant improvement on the traditional method of manual sampling and adjusting.

The MoisturePro

A net increase of one per cent in moisture gain in final product water content represent a return of investment of USD $300,000 a year for a typical feed dryer operation.
Food production is responsible for a third of the world’s energy consumption and Bühler’s goal is to build food value chains, reduce 30 per cent of waster and 30 per cent of energy in the processes of their customers by 2020.
“The use of digital technologies has revolutionised food and feed processing. These changes have driven huge improvements in quality and efficiency,” said McKeithan.
“Now we are leveraging connectivity to drive the next revolution. With MoisturePro our expertise is available on an ongoing, real-time basis to our customers, so that we can proactively help to create and sustain improvements. It’s a true partnership.”

-ends-

The big chill – Reducing pest infestations and improving grain quality using grain-cooling technology

by Vaughn Entwistle, Features Editor, Milling & Grain Magazine, UK

Around 10 percent of all stored grain in developed countries is lost to insect pests, moulds and mycotoxins. In developing countries, this percentage soars to as high as 40 percent.

Other losses come from grain shrinkage, which results from grain’s natural ‘respiration’, and loss of moisture content. And all of these problems are directly related to elevated temperatures.

Some like it hot
Just-harvested grain is usually at its highest temperature and moisture content when it is transferred into a silo. Grain is an effective insulator and will retain its warmth in a silo for many days.

Even worse, grain temperature will actually rise after it enters storage, because harvested grain is alive and continues to “breathe,” and “sweat”, taking in oxygen while releasing carbon dioxide, heat and water vapour (and therefore weight).

As heat rises through the silo, the air in the head space heats and cools each day, creating ideal conditions for condensation to form and moisten the grain on the top of the stack. The high moisture content of recently harvested grain, combined with elevated temperatures, provides the perfect environmental conditions for the growth of moulds, toxins, and breeding insect pests.

A chill wind
To counter this problem, many silos employ aeration, whereby a system of fans circulates air from the bottom to the top of a silo, blowing air through the grain and cooling it.

Aeration not only reduces the propagation of insect pests in the grain (by lowering the temperature and humidity in a storage bin), but also preserves grain quality and even improves seed viability.

Typically, aeration works by locating a number of centrifugal blowers around the base of a silo or grain bin. The correct timing of this process is so critical that aeration systems often employ a planned control program which aims to force maximum airflow through the grain bulk as soon as it enters storage to cool the kernels and prevent the grain from sweating and heating.

When grain is first loaded into storage, the aeration fans may need to run continuously for the next one to three days until the so-called “heating front” moves from the bottom to the top of the grain and up into the head space. The goal is to flush all the hot humid air out of the grain and quickly reduce the grain temperature from the mid 30s°C down to the low 20s°C. Automated aeration systems will then run the fans intermittently to keep and maintain the grain temperature as low as possible throughout the storage period.

After the aeration fans have been running continuously for two to three days, the fan run time may be reduced to nine to 12 hours per day for the next seven days. An initial reduction in grain temperature of 10°C ensures grain is less prone to damage and insect attack, while further cooling becomes a more precise task.

Read the full article in the Milling and Grain magazine online, HERE.

Ottevanger Milling Engineers company profile

Ottevanger Milling Engineers is a leading European company in the design and manufacture of equipment and complete installations for the grain-processing and mixed-feed industries.

Food producers throughout the world use these installations to produce food for people and animals. In modern, well-equipped plants in Aalten and Moerkapelle (The Netherlands) Ottevanger's specialists use the latest technologies to design and manufacture a comprehensive range of products.

Computer-controlled plants – anywhere in the world – are provided with on-line technical support from these plants. In its design of any installation Ottevanger takes into account the strictest environmental regulations and safety requirements.

There are, for example, always adequate facilities for air purification as well as sound and heat insulation. A lot of attention is also devoted to hygiene through the use of stainless steel and special coatings.

Thanks to its expert knowledge and expertise, amassed throughout its over one hundred years' experience, Ottevanger is the ideal partner for the implementation of your project.

Read more on the Milling and Grain website, HERE.

Visit the Ottevanger website, HERE.

September 23, 2018

Chinese grain packing solutions with Yongcheng’s electronic and mechanical technology

By Wu Wenbin, Milling and Grain, China

In Lu'An city, Anhui Province, China, Milling and Grain Magazine's Publisher Roger Gilbert, Group President Darren Parris, Manager Tuti Tan and China Editor Professor Wu visited the latest milling achievement, an automatic packing solution. The Milling and Grain team were accompanied by the President Zhengbing Fu, Vice President Chuansheng Xu, and General Manager Assistant Cunxue Tang from Anhui Yongcheng.

Milling and Grain magazine visit Yongcheng
Image credit: Milling and Grain

Anhui Yongcheng Electronic and Mechanical Technology Co., Ltd is a professional manufacturer engaged in the R&D of weighing devices, fully automatic packing machines, secondary packing machines, and robot palletisers among other equipment. They are the pioneer of unmanned packaging in mill and grain processing industry in China.

Yongcheng was founded in August 2000, the company is based on the technology innovation of mechanical and electrical integration, committed to providing total solutions of automatic packing, successfully completed the first domestic automatic rice packing assembly line in design, production, installation and service, driving the whole grain processing industry to automatisation and intelligentise.

"Yongcheng" means "the endless achievements of the future", the company always adheres to the enterprise ideas to be innovative, stable, and respectful. The company welcomes domestic and foreign friends to establish and carry out various economic, technological and business cooperation to create a great future!

The company has over 200 professionals engaged in R&D, manufacturing, sales and service.

Their main products are QZB series fully automatic quantitative packing line, DCS series electronic quantitative packing scale, fully automatic packing machine, robot palletiser and DCS-ZK series shaping vacuum packing machine.

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Farm rescue movie filmed in Sukup bins

Seeing a teenager frantically pushing grain away from himself as he's sinking deeper into corn is terrifying even if you know it's just a scene from a movie. For those who have lost a family member to grain entrapment, it might be too much to see, Diane Hughes, sales director at Sukup Manufacturing Co., said quietly after watching on a monitor during filming in North Iowa.

Image credit: Sukup Manufacturing Co

Inspired by true events, the yet-to-be-named movie depicts 24 hours in a small Midwestern farming community where, due to carelessness and bad luck, a young farmhand gets trapped in a grain bin and rescuers struggle to get him out. It's a scenario that is repeated too often on family farms, but not one that a lot of people outside of the Midwest know about, said the movie's New York-based producer, Samuel Goldberg. After a director pitched the idea to him four years ago, screenwriting began. Two years ago when scouting out filming locations, Mr Goldberg learned about Sukup Manufacturing Co. and asked the family-owned company to design bins that could be used for filming. Mr Goldberg met with Steve Sukup, vice president and chief financial officer, and his daughter Emily Schmitt, general counsel, to get the project rolling.

Read the full article on the Milling and Grain website, HERE.