With a seemingly endless list of things to do at harvest, one company out of Oak Bluff has made a device to take a task off that to-do list.
Prairie Grain Analyzers’ Automatic Auger Sampler automatically takes grain samples from a grain auger while it’s running.
WHY IT MATTERS: This system allows farmers to take samples even more representative of their crop’s overall grade and condition (and has Manitoba roots).
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The company’s grain auger-mounted device won first place in the Farm Built Solutions category in the Innovation Showcase at Manitoba Ag Days in January.
“It works by a simple mechanism that opens and closes to get you representative sampling of any grain that is taken through auger, grain leg, grain bagger or hopper bin,” said Chris Hendrickson, director of international business development with Prairie Grain Analyzers.
The device doesn’t require any modification to the auger itself, employing instead different sizes of inspection plates to fit a variety of brands of augers.
“That’s one of the really nice features about it,” said Hendrickson.
How it works
A pair of dials on the face of the device allows the operator to set the amount of the grain sample being taken, and the interval.
The auger’s size, its rate of flow and the type of grain collected determine how large a sample an operator will have at the end of the unload.
“We take the human error out of it,” Hendrickson said. “The auger sampler simply gets set to its parameters and it just runs.”
The device runs on a 12-volt DC connection and can be spliced into the auger’s power supply.
Hendrickson feels its Automatic Auger Sampler offers a quality-of-life improvement.
Operators need not stand in a cloud of grain dust to just get a grain sample and removes the possibility that a grower may forget to take a regular grain sample.
Hendrickson said the next step for the sampler is to integrate automatic moisture testing into the device.
“It’s not just going to take representative samples,” said Hendrickson.“It’s going to analyze those samples immediately after.”
The company also offers several portable and stationary devices that analyze grain moisture separately.
Pre-weighing or cleaning of the sample isn’t necessary.
“They’re designed for people to use,” said Hendrickson, “You simply fill up a cup … level it off, dump it into the tester, and it’s as simple as that. From there you get moisture, temperature and test weight of any crop.”
The testers come pre-calibrated with all major crops recognized by the Canadian Grain Commission or the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Results can be printed out via the analyzer itself — or, if a user prefers, results can be shared to a smartphone via an app.
