Bin Monitoring System Manages Grain Conditions

Bin Monitoring System Manages Grain Conditions “We developed a retrofit automation kit for a grain bin to provide the earliest alert when grain is beginning to tip out of spec,” says Amber Ag owner and co-founder, Lucas Frye. “Our newness factor and how we’re different from everyone else is that we don’t use any internal cables or sensors.” Amber Ag is an Illinois-based startup focused on grain bin storage technology that reduces spoilage and increases yield. “Our killer feature is we use CO2 headspace sensing instead of temperature monitoring in the grain mass,” Frye says. “It’s an old principle with dozens of papers written about it over the last 100 years, but it’s still a relatively unknown process.” The Amber Ag monitoring system consists of a roof-mounted solar panel and hub, and an internal CO2 sensor that hangs inside the bin. The sensor measures the headspace for a risk alert of spoilage. Algorithms use the CO2 readings to calculate the moisture and temperature of the grain. The bin’s fan is connected to the controller and receives directions from the “Robin” app. It starts and stops automatically on dry, cool and rehydration targets. Robin uses custom scheduling, time windows, alerts, changing weather conditions, humidity, and forecast reports to control fan usage. An additional option provides laser-based inventory monitoring to calculate volume and manage inventory levels. “It’s the only monitoring unit on the market that pairs predictive CO2 alerts and laser-based inventory monitoring all in one device,” Frye says. “It’s wireless, plug and play, and installs in about 9 min. Just drill one hole and slap it on with the military magnets provided. It doesn’t need internet or Wi-Fi for connectivity but runs off a built-in cellular modem.” The system monitors every storage crop, including cereals, oilseeds, almonds, nuts, pinto beans, corn, sorghum and rice. It works in steel, wooden and concrete bins and silos from 1,500 to 1.2 million bushels in size. The Amber Ag grain monitoring process is manufactured in Chicago and sold directly to farmers and commercial operations throughout North America. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Amber Ag, 935 W. Chestnut St., Suite 530, Chicago, Ill. 60642 (ph 401-307-3737; info@amber.ag; www.amber.ag).

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