The case study
In Germany, a family-run farm specialising in egg production and sales chose Mecmar to expand and improve the efficiency of its maize management system for poultry feed.
On this farm, dried maize has two different uses: around 30% is used directly as poultry feed, while the remaining quantity is stored under optimal conditions and sold when market prices are more favourable.
This flexibility turns the system into a valuable commercial asset.
For farms like this one, maize is a key resource for ensuring continuity of operations. Having properly dried and stored grain available means greater independence, better stock management and a more reliable supply to meet the farm’s poultry feeding requirements.
Before the project, the farm used a small grain dryer and a storage silo. It was a functional solution, but no longer sufficient to support the growth of the business and meet its new production requirements.
The farm therefore decided to invest in a new drying and storage system, installing an additional silo and a Mecmar MC 3/70R grain dryer.
The requirement
The customer needed a solution that would:
- increase the amount of maize available for poultry feed;
- dry larger quantities more quickly and continuously than the previous system;
- increase the farm’s overall grain handling capacity;
- reduce energy consumption during the drying process;
- integrate an alternative heat source to diesel;
- prepare the farm for a future expansion of its storage capacity.
In this case, the priority was not simply to replace a smaller dryer with a higher-performance machine. The goal was to create a more comprehensive system capable of increasing grain availability, speeding up the drying process and reducing operating costs, while optimising the cost per tonne of dried maize.
The solution
To meet these requirements, Mecmar designed an MC 3/70R grain dryer with a diesel burner, specifically configured to integrate a wood-chip biomass heat generator connected in series.
The diesel burner remains an integral part of the system but is complemented by a wood-chip biomass heat generator, creating a flexible configuration tailored to the farm’s specific requirements. This allows the drying process to benefit directly from the energy supplied by biomass: using wood chips as the primary heat source significantly reduces diesel consumption, with a positive impact on operating costs while optimising the overall energy efficiency of the system.
The MC 3/70R grain dryer was integrated into a broader project to reorganise the farm’s grain management system. Alongside the dryer, the customer also installed a new storage silo, increasing the capacity available for storing maize intended for poultry feed.
The new system makes it possible to produce larger quantities of dried maize in less time than with the previous setup. This is particularly important during periods when maize needs to be processed continuously, helping to avoid slowdowns and improve the farm’s internal organisation.
From an energy perspective, the chosen solution incorporates several features designed to reduce consumption. High-efficiency fans help limit electricity use, while sandwich panel insulation helps minimise heat loss during the drying process.
The result is a system designed to grow alongside the farm. The installation of the new silo and Mecmar grain dryer represents the first phase of an expansion plan that will include the addition of another two or three storage silos in the future.
This will allow the customer to progressively increase the amount of grain available, improve stock management for poultry feed and support its egg production and sales operations more efficiently.
With the MC 3/70R, Mecmar provided a solution tailored to the customer’s specific requirements: greater capacity, faster drying, improved efficiency and lower operating costs thanks to the integration of biomass.
A project that clearly demonstrates the value of a machine designed to support the growth of a family-run farm, helping it become more resilient and self-sufficient.
