Brad Ortman | VP-Engineering & Operations | Kokomo Grain Co.

“The biggest things I’ve seen for us the past five to 10 years are the PLC systems we have installed. We’ve gone away from hard wires and relay logic. The PLC systems we have presently are so much simpler to use and change, particularly the flow graphics, and you get so much more information from them.

They are also more cost-effective, because you can get away from pulling miles and miles of control wire through your new facility, and in retrofits, the associated maintenance from all of that extra wire. Instead, you just need a computer and a network throughout the facility to tie everything together.

“One thing we’ve been working with for the past three or four years is carbon dioxide monitoring, and we’re finding a lot of benefit from it, particularly in our outside piles. We find problems sooner than we would with temperature cables, and let’s face it, temperature cables are difficult to install in temporary piles.

“Another thing I’m really looking forward to is optical sorting technology that identifies different grains, such as corn and soybeans. The technology is still being perfected, but I can see it being a real benefit just from the standpoint of mixing grain.

“And there’s also some scanning technology out there, which consists of monitors on the side of a bin that can see through the mass of the grain using technology similar to an MRI or CT scan, and it can tell you the temperature, moisture, and if there is insect activity.”

765-457-7211 | www.kokomograin.com

Reprinted from Grain Journal March/April 2020 Issue