Farmer-Based Innovation Replaces Bin Sweep

Farmer-Based Innovation Replaces Bin Sweep “One day, as I was cleaning out a grain bin using a bin sweep and shovel, I thought there had to be a better, more efficient, and safer way,” says Caleb Renner, a 5th-generation Iowa farmer and passionate innovator. For Renner, the “better way” turned out to be AgriNet, a series of polyester mesh nets placed on a grain bin’s aeration floor and connected to pulleys and electrically powered winches. Renner’s innovation uses a typical auger under the perforated floor to remove most of the bin’s contents by gravity. Then, a push of a button on a control panel outside the bin slowly lifts the nets in sequence, disturbing the grain’s angle of repose and causing it to congregate and flow out a center sump. This action delegates all the farmer’s hard work to the winches, rather than requiring entry into the bin and the associated risks to safety and health by operating a bin sweep. Renner’s current prototype lifts two curtains before a third rises to clean the remaining grain from the bin. He included three nets because 20% of a 30-ft. grain bin weighs approximately 175,000 lbs. Cables from the three nets exit the bin 15 ft. above the floor, roll over pulleys, and connect to 20 exterior winches spaced evenly around the bin’s perimeter. The AgriNet is in the prototype stage and will transition to a pilot program to test in other farmers’ bins, covering different crop varieties and bin sizes. Expanding and testing the project depends on funding. Renner is actively seeking investment and support options. Manufacturing of the AgriNet will be based in Iowa. “I honestly foresee this as the future of grain bin cleaning, replacing the bin sweep,” Renner says. “The main selling point is its speed and efficiency, plus its ability to reduce liability for farm injuries.” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Renner Ag Solutions, Klemme, Iowa 50449 (ph 641-430-9298; calebc9298@outlook.com; www.renneragsolutions.com).

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