August 5, 2009: System for monitoring grain condition

A new, innovative wireless system for monitoring the condition of stored grain has been introduced by Farmex, the Reading-based UK company specialising in farm energy and control systems.
At the heart of the system is a sturdy two-metre-long grain lance, which will measure temperature and relative humidity and give a calculated moisture content to an accuracy of 0.4 percent. It is self-calibrating and does not need regular re-setting.
A particular and unique feature, however, is that it can be used to continually monitor and chart changes in the grain and this can be transmitted to a laptop and logged for reference, enabling the farmer or store operator to check easily what’s happening over a period of time. An alert system can be incorporated to give an early warning of problems. This can be linked to a ventilation controls so that remedial action can be started automatically.
The lance is battery-operated enabling it to be moved around without cables to cause obstructions. Suitable for any type of grain, the basic lance costs UK£215. 
A simple data capture and charting program can be put together as an entry level system for monitoring farm stores for less than UK£1500, excluding laptop while a more sophisticated logger system offering a more flexible approach for a typical farm store would cost UK£2345.
The number of lances depends upon the size of the store, but one every 10 square metre is a general recommendation
“Because the lances are wireless the cost of installation is extremely low. There is only a modest set-up charge,” commented Farmex managing director, Hugh Crabtree.
“With grain becoming an increasingly valuable commodity - to livestock farmers as well as arable farmers - even a small store of 1000 tonnes could justify monitoring grain to ensure that it is kept in peak condition,” he added.

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