Farming Monthly National November 2016 | Page 22

| Grain Grain storage with the Agbag system The importance of short-term storage capacity for grain increases with the price fluctuations in the cereals market. he silage bag technology or ‘Agbag’ - provided in the UK by AB Systems (UK) Ltd – works on the principle of air exclusion and is characterised by low losses and high quality. T Roughage and industrial byproducts (pressed pulp) can also be successfully stored in an Agbag. Using this ensiling system, the material is put into a polythene AB Systems (UK) Ltd have teams of contractors nationwide, to get your grain or forage into an Agbag bag with a diameter of 4.3m (length of up to 200m). Filling them with the help of a chaser bin, performances of up to 300 tons per hour can be achieved. Wheat can be stored in silage bags for up to 9 months without any losses to quality - with continuing improvements to the method of extraction, this period will almost certainly increase in the near future. With or without the capital investment to purchase your own farm bagging machine, AB Systems (UK) Ltd have teams of contractors nationwide, to get your grain or forage into an Agbag. Prices start from £4 per ton for more information call David or Doug Wynne on 01363-82677 22 | Farming Monthly | November 2016 New hi-tech service Gleadell launches hi-tech mobile grain cleaning and seed dressing service. leadell has launched a stateof-the-art mobile grain-cleaning service enabling farmers to improve the specification of stored grain or optimise the quality of home-saved seed quickly and cost effectively. The multi-million-pound investment, which employs some of the most advanced equipment available, marks Gleadell’s first foray into the on-farm graincleaning market and will help satisfy increasing demand from existing and new customers, says Chris Guest, Gleadell’s seed manager. “It’s evident that the presence of impurities such as ergot is increasing, due to rotations and rising grassweed pressure,” he explains. “The new service will enable customers to maximise grain-marketing options through removal of unwanted admixture such as ergot, as well as improving bushel weights and Hagbergs. “From a seed perspective, about 40-50% of the market uses home-saved seed, depending on G crop species. It is, therefore, very important to be able to offer such a service to our farmer customers.” Initially one mobile cleaner, operating within a 50-mile radius of Long Sutton, Lincolnshire, will be available, says Mr Guest. It is fitted with a range of hi-tech equipment, including the latest camera and software technology. This includes an innovative SEA chrome optical colour sorter, equipped with high-resolution, fullcolour cameras, allowing 0.1mm optical resolution. Combined with advanced software this provides near human-eye vision that can identify precisely the smallest shade differences, even allowing separation of barley from wheat plus a wide range of other admixtures. The sorter also boasts shapesizing integrated into the system. “This equipment is the most innovative and flexible sorting solution available, and offers a real advance in terms of mobile grain cleaning,” says Mr Guest. www.farmingmonthly.co.uk