Sampolahti, Vampula – Mepu’s Drymix drying silo differs from other drying silos

Customer presentation:

Heikki Sampolahti cultivates his farm in Vampula, Satakunta, together with his father. The farm’s 120 hectares of cereals mainly consist of grain and potato crops. The farm also raises pigs for meat at two separate sites. In addition to the father and son, two employees run the pig facilities. The drying silo was acquired to support the pig production, where the quality and storability of home-grown feed grain are of central importance.

The drying silo stopped the grain shuttle — resulting in time and energy cost savings

In addition to the drying silo, Sampolahti’s farm had two old dryers that worked well but struggled to keep up with current requirements and pace.

Before the drying silo, handling the grain was laborious. Sampolahti had to collect a load of grain for the pig feeding station by tractor every five days. With the drying silo, tractor runs have been eliminated and the grain moves effortlessly by conveyor from the drying silo to the feed station’s component silo.

The drying silo also brought energy cost savings to the Sampolahti farm. The old dryer consumed a lot of heating oil. Heating oil consumption dropped radically with Mepu’s Drymix drying silo, since the drying silo dries with biofuel. The drying silo is heated with a water-circulated radiator, which receives heat from the adjacent wood-chip center. Drying with wood chips is also more environmentally friendly.

The drying silo and the new mixing system convinced Sampolahti

“The method is such that I bought the idea. The grain mixing system — the augers inside the silo, their use and movement — is new and differs from competitors,” Sampolahti justifies his purchase decision.

In addition to the drying silo, Sampolahti received 4 metal silos with conical bottoms, of which the “week” silo has a 60° bottom cone. All silos are filled through the pouring pit. Grain goes from the pouring pit by elevator to the pre-cleaner. The top conveyor transports the grain to the desired silo.

From the drying silo the grain is unloaded with a discharge screw back to the elevator. The elevator raises the grain again to the pre-cleaner and via the top conveyor into the “week” silo. The 4 silos serve as component silos for feeding. From the silos the grain continues its journey through a sorter to the mill.

“Cooperation with Mepu went well. The salesperson visited often and took care and responsibility to make sure the project would be completed. We made a deal with the salesperson that if the drying silo wasn’t ready when harvest began, I would run the grain to his dryer. I haven’t had to drive it,” Heikki chuckles.