Making the grade: Australian solution sorts out the seed

Based at the top of Yorke Peninsula in South Australia, Daniel Seed specialises in seed cleaning and grading for a variety of crops, primarily lentils but also wheat, barley, vetch, oats, peas and beans.

Seed cleaning and grading has become one of the most important farming practices ensuring that weed seeds, chaff, dirt and other non-seed contaminants are removed allowing for the best seeds to be sown while maximising seeding productivity.

The grading process removes only unwanted weeds and poor quality seed from each load ensuring the heavier, better quality seed remains. Larger seeds generally have better vigour and are the best start to greater yield, thereby ensuring maximum returns for the farmer.

Owner Peter Daniel was facing an issue with his production line that was operating two gravity cleaning tables fed by two individual surge hoppers. The issue related specifically to the imported vibratory feeders that were not performing to the level required both in terms of throughput per hour and flow control — both crucial factors to ensure the productivity and smooth running of the lines.

“We were hoping to get 7 tph [tonnes per hour] out of the imported feeders and they were barely managing 4 tph — they didn’t even perform to the factory specs,” Daniel said.

It was a simple Google search that led Daniel to Enmin. For over 40 years, Victorian-based Enmin has been a market leader in materials handling and vibratory equipment for a diverse range of applications with particular expertise in the food and allied industries.

The seed specialist purchased two of Enmin’s vibratory feeders, which came with Enmin’s LD4 electromagnetic drive (which is manufactured in Australia) and a CV6 controller.

“Easy fine-tuning to regulate grain flow is critical and this is where Enmin’s controller, with its pinpoint accuracy, comes into its own,” Daniel said.

“Enmin’s product knowledge was excellent; they listened carefully to our needs to ensure we received the right solution. The quality of the product was also excellent and we found their equipment had a very good reputation in the marketplace. Being an Australian manufacturer was also an important factor for us in our purchase decision as we knew that back-up and support was just a quick phone call away.”

Installed in late January, the units are operating 12–14 hours per day and have been suitable for lentils, wheat and beans to date. “The Enmin units will ensure we achieve an 8 tph per feeder throughput, which is higher than we were originally looking for,” Daniel said.

In addition to its vibratory and materials handling products, Enmin also has a range of industrial vibrators to suit any industry that handles bulk material. The ‘Flow-Easy’ range is specifically designed to suit Australia’s environment and covers a multitude of applications.