Harvest season is here. Producers are busy getting the crops out and seeking a safe place to store their grain. Sukup bins dotting the Midwest landscape are some of the most visible products helping farmers.
Randy Marcks, Sukup Manufacturing Co.’s Material Handling Director, knows the entire grain management process can be intimidating. He insists that broad knowledge can serve you well.
“Commitment to proper bin management can help fight future headaches,” Randy explains. “Temperature, moisture, air flow, and other environmental conditions should be considered when utilizing on-farm storage.”
On-farm storage is about to get even better with new technology from Sukup Innovations, Synk powered by Sukup.
Consider the benefits of even better grain bin measurement and monitoring from a company that knows bins.
Sukup Manufacturing Co. is the world’s largest family-owned and operated manufacturer and was founded on innovation in 1963. It continues to meet the needs of its producers worldwide. The acquisition of value-add automation distributor Ramco Innovations in late 2023 is taking that mission to the next level. It’s led to the subsidiary Sukup Innovations and a brand/concept known as Synk ™.
Hank Norem is Ramco Innovations CEO/President and new CIO of Sukup Innovations. Norem believes powerful tech offerings launching from Synk in the not-so-distant future will bring more capabilities to farms and other operations.
“We are talking about integrated controls and monitoring systems for operational grain management. Phase one is building a platform around bin-monitoring solutions,” Norem explains. “A user-friendly interface, along with intelligent monitoring and real-time problem solving will eventually create an entire ecosystem to operations everywhere.”
Norem says the Synk team is creating transformative solutions designed to operate independently, collectively, and provide remote interfaces.
Dan Shrock is part of that team, helping develop the technology that will unify systems meant to make life a little easier for operators. For example, better grain bin measurement and monitoring.
Shrock says there is a need for technology. Bigger sites, bins, more material handling, more data, and smarter farming. There’s also a shrinking pool of available labor.
“Just because there are other solutions on the market does not mean they are good enough. There is always room for improvement. This phase one technology is just a tiny part of a much larger ecosystem.”
Producers looking to protect and preserve their grain can do so with confidence. The team at Sukup knows the challenges farmers face because our engineers are also farmers. Casey Heilskov's agricultural background plays a prominent role in his daily role at the 60+ year company.
“When designing products, I have always tried to pay attention to how my decisions affect the different stakeholders to my design work. I think my background in farming helps me keep a customer focus. You can learn a lot by talking to your customers and listening to what they have to say,” Casey says.
The Synk technology will help customers safely store, handle, manage, and manipulate grain. That will play a significant role in protecting the world’s food supply. According to the USDA, in 2023 Iowa farmers harvested more than 2.5 billion bushels of corn and 573 million bushels of soybeans. Some are predicting a state record corn yield for 2024.
Whether you are holding corn, beans, grain, or nuts, an ideal bin environment can make all the difference in the quality. Storage and more of it, is in high demand. Producers want bigger bins and proper grain management will be an important aspect as the sizes continue to grow.
Synk, Powered by Sukup, is more than just a concept. Stay tuned for the very latest!