Fourth-generation farmer Harri Linnamaa runs a farm with his wife Anette in the village of Tiihala in Kangasala. Since taking over the farm, they have worked together to develop it in a determined manner. The farm now covers an area of 300 hectares.
The growth in cultivated area brought additional challenges for drying, even though the farm had three grain dryers in use: a dryerhouse, a wagon dryer and an old Antti dryer.
“Running three dryers was quite laborious. The batches are changed around the clock. And it wasn’t possible to control them remotely,” says Harri Linnamaa, describing the challenges of the old drying system, and continues:
“And on top of everything else, all used oil. We wanted to make drying more efficient and get rid of the oil.”
Harri has a background in construction, so he drew up the plans for the new drying system himself, tailored precisely to the farm’s needs.
After that, he familiarised himself with the various system options and invited tenders from suppliers. The overall package and reliability tipped the balance in Antti’s favour.
“During Antti dryer days, I received final confirmation that the new system would be Antti Stand Alone dryer and bio-oven,” Harri recalls his decision.
Harri chose Antti Stand Alone dryer with Ultima control to replace the wagon dryer. Antti bio-oven, which uses wood chips as fuel, was selected as the new oven. There was no need to choose a builder for the new system, as Harri, a builder himself, took on the task together with his father, Matti.
The new dryer was completed in the summer of 2021. Now, grain is mainly dried on the farm using a single dryer. The wagon dryer was sold, and the old AntTI dryer was left for use only as a grain storage facility. The dryerhouse serves as a grain storage facility and provides additional capacity when needed.
“During the first autumn, 37 batches were dried in the new dryer and 14 batches in the old one. The autumn went really well. Everything worked perfectly,” Harri says of his experience.
However, the greatest relief in a farmer’s daily life came from the Ultima control system.
“For example, at night you can check the situation on your mobile phone without having to go to the site. Within the local network area, you can control the entire process with your mobile phone or tablet. I get more sleep at night now. The threshing day can be extended because the moisture content of the grain to be threshed is not so important when energy is cheaper and drying is efficient,” Harri notes.
The old oil-fired furnaces were replaced with a biofuel furnace that burns wood chips. The biofuel furnace operates using a vacuum method, which prevents dust from entering the drying building.
“The new stove and wood chips have resulted in significant cost savings. Energy costs are much lower with a wood-fired stove. Energy costs are about a third of what they would be with oil,” says Harri, delighted with his new stove.
“Yes, there is a difference. Everything is a little more spacious and larger in size, including the air vents and so on. You can dry grain better and more economically. I am really happy with my purchase,” says Harri Linnamaa, who is pleased with his investment.
A premiere in Germany: As the first customer in Germany, Andermann farm in Haßbergen, located in the Nienburg/Weser district, chose Antti’s X-Series. The farm’s own compact grain drying plant offers numerous advantages. In addition to economic benefits, greater independence from grain traders has proven to be a significant gain for the Andermann family.
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