Smart on-Farm Grain Storage and Management

Lethbridge College (LC) is building research capacity in postharvest technology to develop engineering solutions for minimizing postharvest losses of grains, horticulture, and tuber crops. Southern Alberta, which is among the most fertile and productive regions in Canada with diverse crop production including wheat, canola, pulses, corn, potatoes, sugar beets in addition to significant livestock and dairy production, generates farm revenues of over $3.11 billion. Southern Alberta farms provide high quality raw material for over 120 established agri-food businesses in the Lethbridge Region, including world leading food processors.

OPIsystems Inc. (Calgary, AB, Canada) is an advanced grain management technology company that provides hardware and software solutions to prevent spoilage of grain stored on-farm and at grain handling facilities. The company offers cloud-based on-farm grain storage monitoring (grain moisture and temperature) using sensing technology and automated aeration controls for drying and aeration of grain. The proposed grant will be used to improve automated aeration and grain drying fan control algorithms.