Bigger Dryer for Shuttle Trains
In 1998, Farmers Co-op Elevator, a regionalization of Cenex Harvest States in Mitchell, SD (605-996-7004), began the process of upgrading its flagship elevator at Mitchell to handle 110-car shuttle trains to the Pacific Northwest on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe.
“Once the train is spotted, we have 15 hours to load and release it,” explains General Manager Mark Grove. “At the same time, during the peak of harvest, we might be taking in anywhere from 125,000 to 175,000 bushels per day.”
Part of the required upgrade meant boosting drying capacity to handle the huge volume. Up until 1999, Farmers Co-op Elevator simply didn’t have the capacity. It operated two dryers at Mitchell, a late 1970s model rated at 1,000 bph and a 1990 dryer rated at 1,500 bph, both powered by propane. To get the capacity needed, Grove says, the cooperative decided to install a much larger tower dryer and switch over to natural gas.
New Dryer
After looking at a number of the large dryers on the market, Farmers Co-op Elevator selected a 7,000-bph tower dryer from The GSI Group, Assumption, IL (217-226-4421/www.grain systems.com). Among the reasons:
• Grove liked the dryer’s hopper bottom design, which discharged easily onto a conveyor without product hangups.
• Heavy-duty construction resists denting and buckling of the outside walls.
• GSI maintains a service crew relatively nearby, at Brookings, SD.
In installing the dryer, Farmers Co-op Elevator contracted with the local utility company, Northwestern Public Service, to run a new 3-inch natural gas pipeline 1-1/2 miles out to the elevator.
Despite a relatively dry harvest in 1999, Grove says his crew still managed to dry some corn with the new dryer. He reports that the dryer’s performance exceeded expectations, topping its rated 7,000-bph capacity.
Ed Zdrojewski, editor
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