Crop Drying Case Study - J Bond and Son

A family run bulb farm in Norfolk has increased its production and trebled its storage capacity, with the help of Calor.

Over the last decade the Bond family, which has farmed on the edge of the Norfolk Broads for more than 80 years, has moved into the blossoming flower trade. It has turned over ever more of its 85 hectares to the production of daffodil bulbs.

To ensure the superiority and reliability of the product, the bulbs need to be dried. Matching an upturn in trade, the business has recently increased its drying capacity three-fold by building a new facility at the farm in Blofield, near Norwich.

Crucial to the new drying and heating process is a cleaner burning, controllable and reliable fuel source, supported by expert technical guidance - and, says owner David Bond, that means Calor LPG. “I decided that LPG was a far better bet than oil if I was to maintain accurate temperature control. It was almost an automatic choice - I'd used LPG for ten years in our old drying shed.”

The bulbs, which produce blooms from perfect miniatures to magnificent double headed daffodils, are now sold across the UK, the US and Europe. Their quality is so high that the family even exports its bulbs to The Netherlands, centre of the world flower trade.

Calor provides reliable fuel supply to purpose built bulb drying facility New 96,000 cubic feet capacity drying shed holds up to 400 pallets of bulbs Calor LPG powers three fold increase in drying operation Able to maintain accurate temperature controls, providing perfect drying conditions, greatly reducing the risk of infection

David, the third generation to run the business, says: “The British climate is perfect for growing daffodils: it keeps them well watered, it's not too hot in summer nor too cold in winter.

“However that excellent outdoor environment has to be matched by perfect conditions in the drying shed if we are to maintain our quality.

“The most important single factor in drying my bulbs is accurate, reliable control of heat - it has to be exactly right. If the air gets too warm there's a risk of infection, but if it's too cool there's again the danger of infection from not being properly dried.

"I wanted a fuel that I knew was reliable, controllable and cost-efficient. It worked in the old building and I knew it would work in the new.”

Having taken the decision to use LPG, David Bond consulted Calor's technical experts and his agricultural storage designers, Thurlow Nunn Standen of Bury St Edmunds. “The reputation of my business rests on maintaining the highest possible standards - I can't compromise on them.”

The new 96,000 cubic ft drying shed can take 400 pallets of bulbs, more than three times the capacity of the old building. Both sheds will be in almost constant use between June and September.

The heating system works via a “letterbox” system: air is warmed by Octagon heaters, powered by LPG bulk tanks, and is then blown through the boxes through a series of letterbox slots in the walls. In stage one of the drying process the air around the bulbs has to be kept at 35oC, removing the surface moisture. In stage two the temperature of the drying air is lowered 18oC and kept there for two weeks to slowly dry the insides of the bulbs.

Calor Commercial Specialist, Jeff Penfold, says; 'David Bond's successful business is yet another example of the versatility and performance of Calor LPG for customers off the mains gas supply. Calor LPG is widely used in a range of agricultural and horticultural applications, including heating systems, crop drying, weed burning and catering.”