Future of grain
HIGHLIGHTING THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN GRAIN PRODUCTION AND UTILIZATION
Ontario farm tire deflation technology goes global
Lilian Schaer, AgInnovation Ontario
An automatic air inflation deflation system (AAID), developed by a southwestern Ontario hog farmer, is ready to go global. Jake Kraayenbrink’s AgriBrink technology is ready for the market in Europe — several years after he first headed there himself in search of a solution to soil compaction problems on his farm near Moorefield, Ontario.
Farmers need light, loose soil to plant crops, but the soil becomes hard — almost like cement — when heavy farm machinery passes over it. This means water can’t drain properly and plant roots are unable to get into the ground to get at the nutrients they need to grow.
With AgriBrink, a control box in the tractor cab allows the user to inflate and deflate the tires to match the ideal tire pressure for the weight and speed of the equipment being used. Equipment tires can be deflated in about 30 seconds once a farmer drives into a field and re-inflated when entering a road, which is much faster than other systems on the market today. This increases the footprint of a heavy piece of farm equipment, like a manure tanker, by about 60 per cent and keeps it from sinking into the ground.
Overall, deflating tires lowers fuel consumption, increases crop yields by easing soil compaction, and reduces tire wear. Farmers can get into their fields earlier if their equipment is able to float over the soil more, instead of sinking into wet ground. Farm equipment is easier to pull in a field when tires are deflated; this saves about 15 per cent on fuel costs, according to Kraayenbrink.
Kraayenbrink was a recipient of the Premier’s Award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence in 2011 for his innovation. A video posted on biotalk.ca provides more in-depth information about the AgriBrink system and how it works. •
Who are you following?
Farmers are using Twitter to stay connected and up to date with industry news. Each month, Ontario Grain Farmer magazine will highlight Twitter accounts we think you should consider following or hashtags (#) that will help you join specific conversations.
@mariaat
Maria Trainer is the Managing Director, Regulatory Affairs at CropLife Canada. She frequently tweets about hot-button issues and converses with other users about GMOs and bee health. Although the tweets are her own, she’s a wealth of information and is open to discussion about a range of topics.
@FarmActionNow
Farm Action Now is a recently developed task force designed to evaluate the challenges with government agricultural policy and process, including regulation of practices, access to science and technology, and on-farm implementation of regulatory changes and hopes to be a voice for the industry. •
The Digital Toolbox
The smartphone, tablet and computer are important tools on today’s farms. Each month, Ontario Grain Farmer magazine will highlight an app, online tool, or website that may help you in the field or in the farm office.
Compass™ Grower Advanced
The new Compass Grower Advanced from BASF is a web-based farm management solution with a fully integrated accounting platform that combines crop, financial, and grain marketing data. The platform helps growers make more informed and efficient decisions with customized reports on field history, yield history, and profit analysis.
Farmers can track crop inputs, production costs, crop pricing, scouting, soil tests, and yield targets. The tool also allows for GIS/GPS mapping, equipment data integration, inventory tracking, crop budgeting, and grain contract tracking.
Compass Grower Advanced is available on desktops and all mobile devices. •
