Crop Drying Case Study - W R Platt

Precision, control and confidence are achieved when drying crops using Calor powered equipment. That’s the experience of a family run farm in North Yorkshire.

WR Platt, a partnership between father and son team William and Chris Platt, farms three sites in the Doncaster area at Heck, Womersley and Hensall, growing a wide range of crops including potatoes, beans, peas, oilseed rape and carrots. Myrtle Farm, Hensall, covers around 900 acres and principally grows wheat used for milling and animal feed.

It’s here that WR Platt benefits from a purpose built crop drying system designed and installed by Hardcastle Ventacrop – and powered by cleaner burning Calor liquefied petroleum gas, or LPG. The system, says Chris Platt, provides precise moisture control and even heat to produce the right result.

‘We wanted to ensure a quality result with even moisture content throughout,’ says Chris Platt. ‘We had a very clear idea about what we wanted and decided that the time was right to install a new purpose built, automated drying system.’

‘We met with Hardcastle Ventacrop and talked through our ideas,’ says Chris. ‘A few farmers had mentioned their name and we began to draw up plans for a purpose built drying system.

‘We work with Calor because, like us, they’re experts in their field,’ he adds. ‘It makes sense, when we’re recommending an LPG powered system, to call in Calor and involve their engineers so that the customer has a complete package.’

The result was the installation of a controlled modulating gas heater stirrer system, powered by Calor LPG, to supply warm air through the floor. The system also includes six augurs to allow continuous mixing of the crop and ensure even drying.

‘We’re specialists in providing complete drying packages for all combinable crops, bulbs, potatoes and onions, and have built up a strong presence in the farming sector over the past 25 years,’ says Barry Coupland of Hardcastle Ventacrop. ‘We’ve seen the growth of LPG and welcomed it as an option – it’s economically viable and it doesn’t have the taint risk of other fuels. They brought Calor into the team as they’d worked with them before and recommended LPG as the best fuel for the job.’

‘It takes around a month to dry a full crop in the shed,’ says Chris. ‘The augurs make sure that a hard cap doesn’t form on top of the crop and that moisture content is constant throughout. We need a 14 per cent moisture content for wheat, 14 per cent for beans and 7 per cent for oilseed and the new system allows us to achieve precise accuracy.

‘We can constantly monitor the moisture content and by programming the required percentage into the system’s computer it’s handled automatically,’ he adds.

Key to the operation is a reliable, cleaner burning fuel supply – and it’s here that Calor has come into its own. As part of the project team, Calor’s engineers worked with Hardcastle Ventacrop and WR Platt to ensure a hassle free connection. Following detailed discussions on the farm’s needs and likely fuel consumption.

‘Calor really knew what they were talking about and it was also clear that they understood our business,’ says Chris. ‘Once they’d specified the correct site, we laid the concrete and dug out the trench and Calor did the rest. They delivered and fitted the tanks and laid out the pipework for us to connect up to the drying equipment. It was fast and straightforward.’

Regular gas deliveries take place to top up the tanks, based on the farm’s usage and taking
seasonal variation into account – leaving William and Chris to concentrate on the real
business of running the farm business.

‘We’re seeing increased interest in the use of Calor LPG to power drying equipment for a wide range of crops,’ says Calor’s Kevin Houlden.‘Most of the equipment manufacturers offer an
LPG option and we are working with many of them to provide an integrated package for farmers,’ he adds.

WR Platt’s system, although designed for cereals, beans and oilseed has also been used to
dry onions – adding flexibility to the list of LPG benefits. ‘The new system is brilliant,’ adds Chris. ‘It takes away the guesswork and gives us precise control. We get the gas when we need it and we can just get on with the job.’