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Sikamanni Farm – Finland’s Largest Grain Dryer

Customer case study:

Sikamanni Oy is a family-owned farm operated by Minna and Mika Manni. The farm has approximately 900 hectares of fields and around 20,000 pigs. The main crop grown on the farm is barley, which is cultivated as feed for the pigs. All the grain harvested from the farm's own fields is used for the farm's purposes.

Challenge:

The Mannis previously had three separate grain dryers, which they operated around the clock during harvest season to ensure the entire crop was dried on time. The rainy autumn of 2023, in particular, posed significant challenges. This decentralized solution was labor-intensive and expensive, as each dryer consumed a large amount of oil, resulting in substantial oil bills. Additionally, customers and meat suppliers have started paying more attention to the carbon footprint of the production chain, increasing pressure to reduce the farm's use of fossil fuels.

Minna and Mika Manni aimed to tackle these challenges by centralizing grain drying at a single location, which would streamline operations, reduce energy expenses, and lessen the environmental footprint of their farm. Their objective was to fully transition to domestic energy sources by leveraging their own forest and replacing the oil furnaces with bio furnaces that use wood chips as fuel for the grain drying process. This solution promised to cut costs, shrink their carbon footprint, and align more closely with the environmental sustainability standards demanded by meat producers.

Ratkaisu:

Our team designed a new centralized grain drying solution for Sikamanni Oy, based on domestic, renewable bioenergy. We installed a 118m³ drying system that uses Mepu's 950 kW Bio furnaces.

The fully automated grain drying unit operates using Mepu's next-generation intelligent control system, GrainPro. This advanced system simplifies the drying process, making it easy to manage. Remote control capabilities add flexibility, especially during the drying season. For the next drying season, the program will be updated to enable continuous flow drying functionality.

On the farm:

During the installation process, Minna and Mika had the opportunity to see how the new drying system operates.

Centralized drying and bio furnaces fueled by wood chips were exactly what we needed, says Mika.

"We are no longer dependent on oil, and we know we are utilizing our own forest to meet the farm's energy needs. This is an important step for us towards more sustainable farming."

Results:

  • They save a significant amount annually on energy costs by switching to domestic renewable energy and centralizing the drying process.
  • The carbon footprint has been significantly reduced, supporting Sikamanni Oy's environmental values and enhancing their position as a responsible meat supplier.
  • Drying capacity has increased, reducing the workload during harvest and improving quality of crop.

This was a major step forward for us. Automating grain handling and transitioning to a domestic energy source have greatly simplified our daily lives, and we can be confident that our feed is both high-quality and environmentally friendly.

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