“Keeping grain in good condition involves getting the grain to a temperature that is safe for long-term storage. Fluctuations can occur when new grain with varying moisture content is introduced into a partially full bin. This can be due to changes in grain maturity, weather conditions, and/or drying fluctuations. A consistent cross section of moisture throughout the bin is desired and in order to bring all the grain to the same moisture content, aeration plays a very important role. With today’s technological advancements, monitoring the temperature and moisture contents of your grain is easier than ever.”

Jim Waters Professional Engineer Chatham Agricultural Infrastructure Design Inc., An engineering division at Lambton Over the past few decades, there has been considerable increase in grain storage capacities around the world. According to the latest USDA report, USA alone had on-farm storage capacity of 13.5 billion bushels and off-farm storage capacity of 11.5 billion bushels as of December 1, 2018, up by 1 percent and 2 percent respectively over the year prior.

Grain producers are realizing the importance of investing in grain storage as their production yields increase by adding storage capacity in greenfield sites, expansions or upgrades. Successful producers increasingly have more grain stored on their farms where they can maintain control of their inventories and take advantage of market opportunities. Lambton Conveyor Ltd. has assisted farmers for more than 50 years in providing quality storage solutions to fulfill these needs. Our roots can be traced to Southwestern Ontario where we initially started as a small farmstead dealership selling farm bins and dryers to the local farm community. Necessity is the mother of invention and as our founder’s needs were not being met, he innovated and created a formidable line of grain handling equipment. Today we are global manufacturers of storage, handling, and conditioning equipment and our equipment has been installed at sites worldwide.

“Our mission is to globally enable our customers to become successful in their pursuits by delivering innovative, competitive and high-quality grain storage, handling, management and financing solutions for their needs.” says Jim Waters, P.Eng. Over the course of the last century, the agriculture sector has changed dramatically spawning many new innovations. This includes the trend towards on-farm storage. To address this trend Lambton has continuously evolved and developed innovative solutions to stay ahead of the curve. In order to keep providing the best quality products we made some major updates to our drags, bucket elevators and distributors. These updates facilitate efficient production which translate to industry-best lead times and ensure the easiest assembly in the field.

One of the major updates is our Self-Cleaning Contoured Idler Boot. This new drag conveyor boot is short in length compared to the standard boot allowing it to be used in tighter spaces. This translates into a length reduction of the receiving pit and provides more flexibility in retro-fit applications. The contoured end also provides better clean out in the boot section by reducing material left behind reducing cross-contamination between commodities. To prepare grain for long-term storage, drying after harvest is the most important step. If the grain is stored with high moisture content, it could cause insect infestation and molds resulting in grain spoilage. Typically, the moisture content for extended storage periods should be 14-15% for corn and less than 13% for soybeans. Our In-Bin Grain Drying system, UltraDry, provides the ability to dry and store your grains in the same bin. It is a blend of proven drying technology with innovative Lambton features catering optimum drying performance and uniformity. This provides producers more control of this important process. This season we are introducing a new control system for our UltraDry. The new control program will improve control of the fans and heater unit to optimize the time required for grain drying. Additionally, the Lambton UltraDry system recycles the heat from the cooling grain to recover the heat thus improving dryer efficiency.

The main goal of proper grain storage is maintaining grain condition after harvesting and drying. Grain temperature and moisture content are the determining factors of the estimated storage times before it spoils. After harvest, grain is still biologically active during storage. Left to its natural processes, this phenomenon produces heat. Reducing the temperature of the grain interrupts this process and increases storage life by diminishing the possibility of rot or germination. Furthermore, high moisture content encourages fungal and insect infestation, and germination. Keeping grain in good condition involves getting the grain to a temperature that is safe for long-term storage. Fluctuations can occur when new grain with varying moisture content is introduced into a partially full bin. This can be due to changes in grain maturity, weather conditions, and/or drying fluctuations. A consistent cross section of moisture throughout the bin is desired and in order to bring all the grain to the same moisture content, aeration plays a very important role. Lambton offers a broad spectrum of aeration systems depending on your needs for proper storage; our axial fans and high and low speed centrifugal fans come in many different sizes. We also provide full or partial aeration floors to suit your application.

With today’s technological advancements, monitoring the temperature and moisture contents of your grain is easier than ever. All our storage bins come with optional temperature and moisture monitoring cables. These cables run through the depth of the bin and allows producers to remotely measure temperature, relative humidity, and moisture from anywhere using mobile technology.

“Lambton’s modular design principles give us the flexibility to provide our customers with innovative solutions for their grain systems.” says Waters. Lambton is one of the very few companies to offer a complete package of grain storage, handling and conditioning equipment for your grain systems- “ONE SOURCE. ONE SOLUTION”. Our range of product offerings, engineering capabilities, and global dealer network have given us opportunities to do projects in more than 40 countries.

For example, Lambton provided over 150 pieces of equipment for a large feed mill project that is currently in construction in Thailand. This large feed mill project includes bucket elevators, chain conveyors, and screw feeders as well as various accessories such as our new UltraLock electric distributor, diverter valves, and slide gates. This project was completed in 3 stages and our design, engineering and technical sales team came together to provide equipment tailored to the customer’s needs. Lambton handling equipment is an integral part of this project from intake to storage, reclaim, cleaning, processing all the way to gently handling the finished product.

“Lambton’s global network of trained consultants work with you on all the stages of your site development from concept through to completion. We provide the systems that work best for your operations. We aim to provide complete solutions customized for our clients’ unique needs. We focus on our core business so that you can focus on yours. Look to Lambton and our dedicated professional representatives around the globe to meet all your agricultural infrastructure needs.” concludes Waters.