The Lucknow Sentinel, 1985-03-20, Page 3212 - • The Farm Edition Week of Macri 20 1985
Lucknow elevator increases storage
By Alan Rivett
Expansion in storage space at the
Anderson Flax Products grain drying opera-
tion last year has allowed the Lnc know firm
to nearly double their wet and dry storage
capadty, according' to manager Sandy fiddle.
Prior to the building of a 100 foot silo and
an additional steel bin for wet storage in 1984,
the elevators were only able' to handle. 5,000
bushels of wet storage and 40,000 bushels of,
dry, storage. Now, the elevators have a
capacity of 10;000 bushels' of •wet storage and
75,000 bushels of dry storage; said diddle.
Anderson Flax drys all types of grains
including wheat, soy beans, barley, corn, flax
and canola.
Mike Snobelen, owner of Anderson Flax
Products, says the expansion of the storage
space carne about because of the increase in
demand for grain drying in the area.
"We must ensure that at harvest time we
can handle ,all the grain we can," said
Snobelen. "There's no sense in having a
grain dryer when you don't have enough
space to store the. grain."
Since he purchased the business in 1976,
Snobelen has oontinuallyexpanded Anderson
Flax beyond its original intent as• a flax and
canola cleaning operation. In 1979, a grain
dryer was added which dries grain at a rate of
200 bushels per hour. Fbur years later, in
1983, a larger grain dryer was added which
stepped up drying to 600 bushels per hour.
And', a year later the storage Space. of the.
business was enlarged: • •
Next year, Snobelen .says he plans to build
another unloading pit to enable'faster unload-
ing of the grain trucks: Also.to be included is
another silo which. will further increase its dry
storage capacity. ,Other long range plans will
include another grain dryer to be in place by
1986. This will up the grain drying load to
1,000 bushels per hour.
The grain is first unloaded into one of three
steel wet storage bins. It then transfented
into one of the two dryers. The grain dryer is
heated by. propane and is forced through the
system by lie electric fans.
The grain goes through a cooling unit and a
cleaning process before it is stored in one of
the three dry storage areas located on the
pmpeitY.
'Once the grain is sold, .by the farmer, it is
• then shipped to the Goderich terminal grain
elevators. . •
The grain drying get§ into full swing in
early August when wheat, canola, barley and
flax are harvested. Liddle says :these. crops
• don't require a great deal of drying because
they' dry sufficiently in the field. The next
peak period, says Liddle; begins in the latter
part of October when corn and soy beans •are
harvested. During this time • the dryers
.run continuously until early December.; .
o double capacity
Anderson Flax Products of Lucknow has expanded their storage space with a 100 foot silo and
additional steel bin to double their wet and dry storage capability. The elevator now has a capacity
of 10,000 bushes of wet storage and 75,000 bushels of dry storage. Next year, owner Mike
Snobelen plans to build another unloading pit to enable fastermloading of the grain trucks and
another silo to further increase dry storage space. (Photo by Alan llrvett )