The drying silo at Riuttamäki farm
The Riuttamäki farm in Huittinen was the first in Finland to introduce the Antti drying silo. Juho Riuttamäki manages an operation consisting of four farms.
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At the turn of the decade, Lukkarin Farm invested in a new Antti package dryer and Ultima control system. The user experience over several years has been positive. The new, efficient dryer and effective automation have completely changed the nature of the harvest season. Night shifts for grain drying are now a thing of the past.
The Lukkarin meat farm in Myllykoski, Kouvola, grows wheat, barley and peas for pig feed. The cultivation programme also includes timothy grass and autumn wheat. In 2018, a new grain dryer was purchased due to the increase in the area under cultivation. The farm’s old Antti dryer from 1989 and grain storage facilities had become inadequate.
– Drying grain with the old dryer was becoming too labour-intensive. Harvest time was prolonged because everything had to be done according to the dryer’s schedule. We often worked through the night, recalls Lasse Lukkari.
The foundation for the new drying facility was laid in the summer of 2018. The most intense construction phase took place in early spring 2019, and the entire facility was ready for use in mid-July. Lukkarin believes that phasing the construction work was a wise decision.
– Everything was ready a couple of weeks before the threshing season began. Antin’s experts helped with commissioning and adjustments. Thanks to the relaxed schedule, I had time to familiarise myself with the dryer and automation functions.
The new dryer is more efficient and smarter
The greatest benefit of the new dryer comes from its efficiency and speed. Previously, threshing and grain drying had to be organised according to the capacity of the old dryer. Now we can work according to the crops and choose the most suitable threshing time for each crop. This has made the daily rhythm of the entire harvest season more humane and shortened the time it takes.
Lukkarin Farm makes full use of the Antti dryer’s intelligent control system. Ultima automatically measures the moisture content of the grain, which significantly reduces energy consumption. The dried batch is automatically transferred to the designated silo, and the drying batch data is recorded in the batch log. This information can be accessed anytime, anywhere, on a computer or mobile device. The system can also automatically start drying a new batch without the user being present, eliminating unnecessary breaks in the dryer’s operation.
– I find Ultima’s stock management feature really handy and useful. It allows me to keep track of the silo situation and the value of grain batches at all times. In addition, the system takes a sample from each batch. I keep some of these samples for myself and send the rest to the feed manufacturer for analysis, Lukkari explains.
Whenever new technology is introduced, there may be some initial problems. However, Lasse Lukkari is more than satisfied with Antti’s approach to supporting the implementation and receiving customer feedback.
– Antti handles after-sales marketing well. Customers are not left alone with their questions or problems. Suggestions for improvement are also welcomed and even implemented. For example, the user interface of the Ultima automation system is now better than it was when it was first introduced.
Technical specifications
A package dryer with an Ultima control system was introduced in 2020. Silo volume 1010 m³, dryer mechanism 83MF3 with a volume of 59.9 m³. Heat production is provided by a 1500 kW gas furnace.
