Harvest time is often chaotic, and a poorly timed storm can ruin a crop. Agridry’s dryers gives farmers the tools they need to control grain quality, no matter the weather.
There’s not much farmers can do about the weather. Whether it’s droughts, floods, unseasonable cold or blistering heat, changes in the climate can have a significant impact on a crop.
This is felt even more during the harvest, the busiest time of year for most of the agricultural industry. Rain at the wrong time could create unwelcome moisture within the crop, reducing quality and slashing profits.
However, the industry doesn’t need to control the weather to control the moisture content of its goods. Industrial dryers rapidly reduce the amount of time spent waiting for crops to dry, allowing business owners to react faster.
Joshua Morrison, executive director at Agridry, said the company’s products allow customers to harvest at a time that is optimal for them, maximising a return on investment.
“Grain dryers are essential in ensuring that stored grain remains in peak condition, maintaining the ideal moisture content and preserving its protein quality,” he said.
“By optimising these factors, we can safeguard the grain’s integrity during storage and making it last longer, cutting down on spoilage, and boosting its value.”
“If you start to think about dryers as part of a management process, they turn into a tool that lets you begin harvesting earlier,” he said.
“It gives you an insurance window, letting you get good quality grain that can be dried down to the right moisture level. If something does go wrong during the harvest, as it invariably does, you might have most of the process done already.”
Agridry, established in 1976, manufactures drying and aeration equipment. It focuses on product development for markets including grain, almonds, pulses, nuts, wood chips and other commodity products.
Its equipment provides growers and processors with a way of controlling their moisture levels. This also allows growers to commence and finish a harvest earlier, letting them reap the benefits of greater flexibility and higher profits.
“Without a dryer, farmers would have to wait for weeks for their crop to naturally dry. During that time, the crop will degrade, losing some of the protein and shape,” Joshua said.
“Dryers prevent this, and even allow you to begin the harvest earlier, getting the optimum grain ready for storage, for sale at a later time and at a higher price.”
The company has been a part of the Australian industry for almost 50 years, developing its drying equipment for local conditions and markets.
Joshua said this helps set the company apart, as there are only a handful of dryer manufacturers – most of which are based in Europe or the United States.
“We’re one of the only Australian grain drying manufacturers,” he said. “Our dryers have been time tested and improved upon, based on feedback from Australian farmers.”
Agridry’s status as an Australian manufacturer is what made it stood out to Steven Morrison, who acquired the company earlier this year.
Steven Morrison, managing director of Agridry, had said he wanted to expand into the grain drying market for some time.
“Australian made is very important to myself and my family. Manufacturing in Australia means employing locals at the factory, supporting their families, and supporting the surrounding communities,” he said.
“Australia has a variety of environments too – drying grain in central Queensland is very different to Tasmania due to the different climates. Imported dryers won’t be finely tuned for these different conditions.
“We have also built relationships with the agricultural industry and know when certain dryers are in demand. For example, the almond harvest ramps up in summer while winter crops will most likely want dryers from October through to January.”
Agridry’s brands, including Predator, Goliath, Tundra, Kinetic, and Tanami, have all proven themselves over decades, and are common across farms around the country.
Joshua emphasised the positive feedback from customers about the Predator mobile dryer.
“Our mobile drying range delivers the versatility and flexibility that our customers appreciate. It can effortlessly accommodate different commodity types and easily transitions from one site to another,” he said.
The Predator mobile batch dryer uses medium temperatures with high airflow and minimum grain movement, creating a gentle drying front equalling distributing through the stack of grain.
Every dryer Agridry manufactures comes with a 12-month warranty and is accessible for remote maintenance. This allows the company to diagnose any issues quickly and inform site staff about what the problem is. Its service team also offers on-farm support and maintenance to each of its dryers.
A lot has changed about the company since the purchase. Agridry’s management team has been working closely on university led research projects collaborating to improve and implement grain cooling and drying systems. It’ engineering team have been working tirelessly to develop and innovating a new product line that will revolutionise the industry making it safer, smarter and faster to dry products.
As part of this process, Agridry’s sales team has been actively engaging with clients and attending field days and tradeshows to understand their customer needs better.
Steven said this family business approach means the company can better support the industry and customers.
“With new owners and a new management team, we are bringing in our family values, ethics and culture into a business that was once quite corporate.”
“One of the things when purchasing from a family business is they are working towards a future, not a fortune,” he said.
“We’re committed to collaborating with our customers by informing and educating them while also understanding their evolving needs in grain drying. We’re excited to keep designing and manufacturing machines tailored for Australian farmers.”