A season of work
sitting in one shed
Temperature and humidity measurement inside the store with Pt100 and analogue probe inputs, and a reference station outside, so drying and aeration decisions are made on measurement rather than on a walk round.
The loss is slow, silent and concentrated
A grain store holds the output of a whole season in one building, which makes it the single largest concentration of value on most arable holdings and the one least often instrumented.
What damages it is not dramatic. Moisture migration, a warm patch, condensation on a cold morning and insect activity all develop over weeks, in a building nobody stands in, and they are usually found by smell or by a rejected load.
The aeration decision that would have prevented it depends on the difference between the air inside and the air outside. Running a fan when the outside air is wetter than the grain does not dry it, it adds moisture, and doing that repeatedly is how a store is lost slowly.
One holding. Multiple measurement points.
A farm is not one measurement environment.
Wind at the field boundary can be different from the regional forecast. Conditions inside a grain store are different from those outside it. Water levels change with use and rainfall. Machinery develops wear while the rest of the operation continues around it.
Spray application and drift
Whether you can spray is a wind decision, and the record of that decision is the thing an inspector or a neighbour asks to see.
- MaxiMet GMX500 wind, temperature, humidity and pressure in one unit
- WindSonic 60 0 to 60 m/s, 0.5 kg, mounts on the sprayer
- MaxiMet GMX200 wind only, 0.5 kg, for a field-edge mast
Field weather station
The farm and the nearest official station are usually tens of kilometres and one valley apart, and the decisions are made on the farm.
- MaxiMet GMX551 wind, T, H, P, solar and rainfall in one housing
- MetConnect THP Pt100 and analogue inputs for soil probes
- MaxiMet GMX550 wind, T, H, P and rainfall without solar
Irrigation scheduling
Irrigating on a timer wastes water and energy. Irrigating on measured evapotranspiration and rainfall does not.
- MaxiMet GMX551 solar, wind, T, H, P and rainfall for the ET calculation
- MaxiMet GMX301 solar radiation only, 0 to 1600 W per square metre
- TruMet PW100 optical rainfall, 0 to 200 mm/hr, no bucket to block
Glasshouse and polytunnel climate
Vents, screens and heating all respond to outside conditions, and a control system acting on yesterday’s assumption costs a crop rather than a day.
- MetConnect THP temperature 0.2 degrees C, humidity 1.5 percent RH
- MaxiMet GMX501 wind, T, H, P and solar for vent and screen control
- Blade position sensors non-contact vent and screen actuator feedback
Grain store and crop storage
Stored grain is a season of work sitting in a shed, and it is lost to temperature and moisture rather than to anything dramatic.
- MetConnect THP temperature and humidity, Pt100 input for probes
- MaxiMet GMX300 temperature, humidity and pressure, no wind
- MaxiMet GMX400 adds rainfall for the outside reference
Livestock housing and ventilation
Housed stock lose condition to heat and humidity before anyone sees a problem, and the ventilation control needs to know what is happening outside.
- MetConnect THP temperature 0.2 degrees C, humidity 1.5 percent RH
- WindMaster 3-axis air-flow measurement for ventilation control
- MaxiMet GMX500 outside reference for the shed control system
Slurry, water and fuel tanks
A slurry store overtopping is a pollution incident with a fine attached, and the level is usually checked by looking.
- LevelSlick FEP coated for viscous and particulate liquids
- LevelPro stainless steel, IP66 and IP68, no moving parts
- DD1615 level display local display at the store
Tractor and machinery condition
A machine goes down in the two weeks of the year it is needed, and the wear that stopped it was in the oil months earlier.
- WearDetect oil debris sensing for ferrous wear particles
- LevelLite fuel and hydraulic level, IP68, voltage or current output
- Blade position sensors non-contact implement and actuator position
Rainfall measurement
Rainfall decides travel, application windows and irrigation, and a gauge that blocks with straw dust stops reporting in harvest.
- TruMet PW100 optical, 0 to 200 mm/hr, 5 percent, no moving parts
- MaxiMet GMX603 integrated optical rainfall, 5 percent or better
- MaxiMet GMX551 rainfall alongside wind, T, H, P and solar
Soil and evapotranspiration
Crop water demand is calculated from solar radiation, temperature, humidity and wind, so the weather station is doing agronomy rather than reporting.
- MaxiMet GMX551 all four ET inputs plus rainfall in one housing
- MetConnect THP four-wire Pt100 to IEC 60751 for soil probes
- MaxiMet GMX301 solar radiation, 0 to 1600 W per square metre
Frost risk and protection
Frost protection runs all night on the strength of a temperature reading, and it costs money whether or not the frost arrives.
- MetConnect THP temperature accuracy 0.2 degrees C, Pt100 input
- MaxiMet GMX400 temperature, humidity, pressure and rainfall
- WindSonic M heated, operating to -40 degrees C
Harvest and drying decisions
Harvest moisture and drying cost are decided against the weather, in a window measured in days, on figures that came from somewhere else.
- MaxiMet GMX551 wind, T, H, P, solar and rainfall on the farm
- MetConnect THP humidity accuracy 1.5 percent RH at 25 degrees C
- MaxiMet GMX603 high-accuracy optical rainfall
Buffer zones and boundaries
Buffer zones and neighbour complaints both come down to wind direction at the time of application, recorded rather than remembered.
- MaxiMet GMX200 wind only, 0.5 kg, for a boundary mast
- WindSonic 60 0 to 360 degrees with no dead band
- MetConnect One logs to SDI-12, Modbus or a farm data platform
Worker conditions and heat
Seasonal labour works long days outdoors and in glasshouses, where air temperature understates what the heat is doing to them.
- MaxiMet GMX552 WBGT heat stress with wind, T, H and P, 1.29 kg, IP66
- MaxiMet GMX500 wind, temperature, humidity and pressure
- MetConnect THP reference temperature and humidity
Remote power and telemetry
A field station has no mains and no daily visit, so the power budget decides whether it is still reporting in February.
- MetConnect THP 5 to 30 V DC, less than 70 mA at 12 V DC
- MaxiMet GMX200 0.5 kg, single supply, minimal draw
- MetConnect One SDI-12 v1.3 into an existing farm logger
Calibration and assurance
Farm assurance schemes and application records are audited, and an instrument nobody has verified is a finding waiting to happen.
- UKAS-accredited air velocity calibration traceable certification for anemometers
- Multi-parameter calibration six parameters, equipment from any manufacturer
- Recalibration scheduling intervals, reminders and turnaround
Inside and outside, compared continuously
The decision to run aeration is a comparison. It only helps when the outside air can take moisture from the grain, and that depends on the temperature and humidity of both, not on the time of year or the time of day.
Inside, the measurement has to be spatial. A single probe describes one point in a heap that is not uniform, and the warm spot developing in the middle of it is precisely what nobody will find by standing at the door.
Most stores already have probes. A set of Pt100 or analogue sensors installed at some point in the building history is often still the best coverage available, and it is more useful inside a single station than in a handheld reader.
Outside, a reference station gives the other half of the comparison and the rest of the record. It is the same instrument that supports drying decisions at harvest and aeration decisions through the winter.
Bring the probes you already have
Replacing an installed probe network is expensive and usually unnecessary. What is generally missing is a station that reads them continuously, compares them with outside conditions and records the result.
MetConnect accepts third-party, analogue and Pt100 inputs alongside its own sensors, which brings an existing probe network into one continuously logged record rather than a periodic manual reading.
Existing probes, one continuous record
View MetConnectThe other half of the decision
Aeration only works when the outside air can take moisture from the crop, so the outside measurement is not context, it is half the calculation.
MaxiMet brings wind, temperature, humidity, pressure, solar radiation and rainfall into one unit on one cable, and ultrasonic wind measurement means nothing fouls with dust and chaff on a store roof.
One unit, sited outside the building
View MaxiMetStorage is a contractual position
Grain is sold against specification, and moisture, temperature and admixture are all part of it. A rejected or discounted load is settled from evidence, and a store with a continuous conditions record is in a different position from one with a notebook.
The same record supports assurance requirements and insurance positions, and it makes the drying and aeration decisions of a season reviewable rather than remembered.
Labcal is an independent UKAS-accredited laboratory operating to ISO/IEC 17025:2017, calibrating equipment from any manufacturer across temperature, humidity, pressure, air velocity and flow.
What a crop store measures
Temperature and humidity inside the heap, the outside reference that the aeration decision compares against, and level sensing across the supporting plant.
Inside the building
MetConnect
Separable sensors for WMO-compliant siting
Third-party, analogue and Pt100 inputs bringing an existing probe network into one continuously logged record.
WindUltra
Compact 2-axis ultrasonic anemometer
A compact 2-axis anemometer for measuring air movement through a store during aeration, sealed for a dusty building.
Level sensing
Capacitive liquid level sensors
Continuous level in fuel, oil and water tanks around driers and handling plant, with no float to jam in dust.
Outside reference
MaxiMet
All-in-one weather station, no moving parts
Wind, temperature, humidity, pressure, solar radiation and rainfall from one unit, which is the other half of the aeration comparison.
WindSonic
Lightweight 2-axis ultrasonic anemometer
Lightweight ultrasonic measurement where drier and store ventilation strategy depends on external wind.
TruMet PW100
Infrared optical rain gauge
Optical rainfall measurement with nothing to block with dust or chaff around a harvest yard.
Where storage measurement does the work
Aeration decisions
Comparing inside and outside conditions so a fan run actually removes moisture.
Harvest throughput
Conditions measurement supporting drier operation through the harvest window.
Long-term holding
Buildings where the crop is held for months and condition is the whole value.
Warm spots
Spatial temperature measurement finding the developing problem before it is smelled.
Specification evidence
A continuous record supporting moisture and temperature positions when a load is disputed.
Probe networks
Bringing probes already installed in a building into one logged and compared record.
UKAS-accredited calibration for six measurement parameters
Labcal is an independent UKAS-accredited calibration laboratory, Lab 0625, operating to ISO/IEC 17025:2017. It provides calibration across gas and air flow, air velocity, liquid flow, pressure, temperature and humidity.
For a store carrying thermometers, temperature and humidity probes, thermal probes, anemometers, pressure instruments and data loggers, one accredited laboratory keeps the whole installation on a single traceable schedule.
Gas meters · Mass flow controllers · Dispensing systems
Anemometers · Pitot tubes · Thermal probes
Flow meters and sensors · Process control equipment
Gauges · Transducers · Manometers · Transmitters
Thermometers · Probes · Thermocouples · Data loggers
Hygrometers · Probes · Transmitters
Getting the comparison in front of the decision
An aeration decision is taken by a person or by a fan controller, and both need the inside and outside measurement compared rather than presented separately.
Gill supports environmental monitoring, industrial sensing, embedded electronics and systems integration, so growers, store builders and control suppliers can bring measurement into existing controllers and farm software.
Whether the requirement is Pt100 probes into a station, Modbus into a fan controller, SDI-12 into a logger, or analogue into an existing channel, Gill engineers can support integration from specification through commissioning.
Outputs and options
- Pt100 & analogue inputs : Existing probe networks inside the store
- Modbus RTU : Fan and drier controllers
- SDI-12 : Loggers and farm telemetry
- RS232 & RS485 : Serial links and local displays
What the specification looks like in practice
The decision is a comparison
Aeration only removes moisture when the outside air can take it, so both measurements are needed rather than one.
Existing probes carried in
Pt100 and analogue inputs bring an installed probe network into one continuously logged record.
Spatial rather than single point
A heap is not uniform, and the warm spot developing in the middle is the one nobody finds from the door.
Nothing to foul with dust or chaff
Ultrasonic wind measurement and optical rainfall both remove the mechanism that a harvest yard blocks.
Continuous rather than remembered
A logged record makes a season of drying and aeration decisions reviewable.
Evidence when a load is disputed
Independent UKAS-accredited calibration across six parameters, for equipment from any manufacturer.
Questions about grain store and crop storage
Only when the outside air can take moisture from the crop, which depends on the temperature and humidity of both. Running a fan when the outside air is wetter than the grain adds moisture rather than removing it.
Usually yes. MetConnect accepts third-party, analogue and Pt100 inputs, so an existing probe network can feed one continuously logged record instead of a periodic manual reading.
Enough to describe a heap that is not uniform. A single probe describes one point, and the developing warm spot is by definition somewhere nobody is standing.
Because the aeration decision is a comparison. The outside measurement is half the calculation rather than background information, and it also carries the rest of the seasonal record.
Ultrasonic wind measurement has no rotating element to foul, and TruMet PW100 uses optical rainfall measurement with no tipping mechanism to block, which suits a harvest yard.
Yes. Labcal is an independent UKAS-accredited calibration laboratory, Lab 0625, operating to ISO/IEC 17025:2017, calibrating equipment from any manufacturer across gas and air flow, air velocity, liquid flow, pressure, temperature and humidity.
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