By Janet Kubat Willette
jkubat@agrinews.com
WEST FARGO, N.D. -- Custom Marketing Company is harnessing air to dry grain and oilseeds.
The West Fargo-based company has been promoting Pressure Cure drying since 1983, said Terry Wastweet, company executive vice president. Wastweet is also a farmer.
The Pressure Cure system is powered by electricity. It dries grain by pushing huge volumes of air under pressure through retrofitted grain bins.
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Grain can be harvested at moistures compatible with grain harvested for drying in conventional grain drying systems, Wastweet said. Pressure Cure also allows farmers to harvest wetter grain, taking away some of the weather risks associated with leaving the grain to dry down in the field.
Pressure curing has several advantages over conventional drying methods, Wastweet said. It preserves grain quality, yield and value; it retains test weight; it provides efficiencies; it involves only one moving part; and it takes away hidden costs of conventional drying system.
In the Pressure Cure system, grain is harvested and stored in a Pressure Cure bin, where it's cured. A retrofitted bin has fans ringing the outside and several vents on the roof. Temperature sensors are inside the bin.
The Pressure Cure system can be used for any cereal crops, Wastweet said.
Custom Marketing Company has systems in 40 states, including Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin and North and South Dakota, Wastweet said
