automation
Kenton in Illinois
Kenton has had his Dryer Master DM510 for four years. He uses it on his Grain Handler dryer to dry about 250,000 bushels of corn a year.
What convinced you to buy a Dryer Master in the first place?
What I first liked about the Dryer Master was that it has an input sensor as well as an output sensor so it can anticipate changes.
How often do you calibrate your sensors?
I calibrate the input sensor twice a year and the output sensor about every 3 hours of drying time or when there is a bigger change of input moisture or a hybrid change. It seems like different hybrids do test differently.
Do you use DM Mobile? If so, when/how do you use it?
I used DM Mobile for the first full season this year and it gave me the confidence to be away from the dryer and do other things and still know what is going on. It also alerted me to a problem that had arisen one evening after I had gone home.
Have you contacted the Dryer Master Support Centre? What was your experience?
Everyone at the support center has always been extremely helpful with any situation that I have had come up.
Automation and the Future of Farming
For more than 10,000 years, farmers have kept humanity fed and clothed. And while the basic concept of farming remains the same, the past two centuries as seen industrialization change the face of agricultural. From the tractor, to the combine harvester, to modern fertilizers and pesticides, agricultural has never been shy about innovation. So it isn’t a shock that the worldwide automation revolution has found its way into the world of farming.
One of the main reasons for the surge in automation is the shift from small family farms to large industrial farms. Thousands of small farms have turned into tens of giant corporate farms. With fewer people cultivating more acres, farmers are demanding modern tools to increase output and efficiency. This has lead to amazing advances that include using GPS to plant and harvest crops, and grain dryers controlled through your smart phone. It is important to make clear that this automation is not about taking jobs away from workers, but more freeing up those who farm from the ancient sun-up to sun-down lifestyle.
Grain drying is a perfect example of this seismic shift. Before automation, farmers would have to physically visit each grain dryer every couple of hours to measure moisture levels. With modern equipment, like our DM510, once-labor intensive tasks become as easy as looking at computer screen or smart phone. In addition, automation also improves accuracy, which decreases costly damaged crops. If you think about it, automation isn’t just changing output levels and product quality; it is changing the fundamental nature of farming.
So, what is next? It is hard to say, but clearly these first steps into the world of automation have kicked of an exciting new era in agriculture and farming.
Dryer Master 
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