GSI AgriDry Spreader Helps Commercial Operations Following Late, Wet Harvest

Following a late, wet 2019 harvest, many commercial operations are experiencing grain storage issues this season due to low quality and high moistures. Many have found that GSI’s AgriDry Spreader offers a cost-effective solution by dispersing fines to help protect grain quality.

Jeff Cravens, GSI North America grain director, noted that stored grain is typically not distributed uniformly in a bin, leading to quality problems. “The areas of grain with non-uniform distribution will not be properly aerated and continue to deteriorate in condition,” he explained. “Air will take an easier path elsewhere in the bin, where more evenly distributed grain is present, or areas with less foreign material.”

Cravens said the problem is worse this year because of high variability in test weight, high moisture, fines and foreign matter. “One of the best ways to make grain more manageable and help assure that it stays in condition is through the use of a spreader to create uniform storage and airflow,” he said.

The AgriDry Spreader is gentle on grain and tough enough to handle fill rates up to 40,000 bph in commercial operations. “Uniformly distributed fines eliminate the time and expense of coring and blending, and create a better environment for storage,” Cravens said. “The system also provides improved fan efficiency, longer storage time and greater marketing flexibility.”

One commercial grain operation that has experienced the benefits firsthand is Assumption Coop in Assumption, Ill., which installed an AgriDry Spreader in a new 90-foot diameter bin in 2015. “We tested a corn sample from the center of the bin, and it had a foreign material rate of only 3.2 percent – far lower than what we were used to,” said Randy Sexton, coop general manger.

Sexton said the coop was surprised at how well the spreader performed. “The center part of the bin was taking in air much better than our other bins. Distribution of the corn throughout the bin instead of being concentrated in the center made it much easier to load out and avoid foreign material discounts,” he said.

Based on that performance, Assumption Coop added the AgriDry Spreader to two additional new grain bins in 2016 and 2017 and retrofitted two existing 105-diameter bins with the system as well.

Cravens added that commercial AgriDry Spreaders include a Tivar polymer liner and special coating to reduce natural wear and increase longevity of the hopper. When the hopper coating begins to wear, the hopper is replaceable.

For additional information contact your GSI dealer or visit grainsystems.com.

About GSI

GSI (Grain Systems Inc.), a global brand of AGCO (NYSE: AGCO), is a global leader and manufacturer of grain bins and the most technologically advanced grain dryers in the industry. In addition, GSI offers crop nutrient equipment, structures and a large selection of material handling systems, including bucket elevators and conveyors, grain bin sweeps and chain loop systems. GSI is also a full-line manufacturer of protein production systems for swine and poultry operations. With more than 40 years of industry expertise, GSI is your proven and dependable source for forward-thinking grain and protein agribusiness solutions.

About AGCO

AGCO (NYSE:AGCO) is a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural solutions and delivers high-tech solutions for farmers feeding the world through its full line of equipment and related services. AGCO products are sold through five core brands, Challenger®, Fendt®, GSI®, Massey Ferguson® and Valtra®, supported by Fuse® smart farming solutions. Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Duluth, Georgia, USA, AGCO had net sales of $9 billion in 2019. For more information, visit http://www.AGCOcorp.com. For company news, information and events, please follow us on Twitter: @AGCOCorp. For financial news on Twitter, please follow the hashtag #AGCOIR.

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