Farmer expands GSI grain system

GREENCASTLE, Ind. — Construction on a new GSI grain system is complete and the final touches are being made on a farm in Putnam County in west-central Indiana.

Nathan Rowings, a farmer from Greencastle, grows corn and soybeans with his father and 90-year-old grandmother, who still makes the family lunch every day.

“We started planning for the project this time last year,” Rowings said. “We started work in the fall.

“Our current dryer system was installed in 1994, when we had a 9500 John Deere six-row combine. Now we run a 12-row. I was pushing that system to its absolute limit all the time. If something didn’t go right overnight, we were stuck the next day.”

The family has finished planting soybeans and has about 300 acres of corn left to plant.

With a new grain system in place this fall, Rowings will rest better knowing the equipment can keep up.

The system was designed and installed by Indiana-based GSI dealer Hoosier Agri-Matic.

“We’ve enjoyed working with Hoosier Agri-Matic,” Rowings said. “We’ve worked with them in the past. The owner is very thorough with details and avoids hidden costs on quotes. He’s open to trying things that may be outside of the box.

“I expect this to have a life expectancy of about 40 years. It should get me through the rest of my farming career. It’s an important investment.”

The expanded system will greatly increase harvest capacity and efficiency. Rowings will no longer need to haul grain for off-site storage.

Project Overview

Location: Putnam County, Indiana

Brand: GSI

Features:

• 500-bushel dump pit to hold harvested grain.

• Two grain tower structures.

• Two 116-foot bucket elevators with capacities of 5,000 and 6,000 bushels per hour.

• GSI TopDry unit, with a top compartment for drying grain which is then dropped to a lower compartment for storage. Heat is captured and recycled for efficient drying the next batch.

• The TopDry has 20,000 bushels of storage capacity.

• A drying capacity of 900 bushels per hour at 10 points moisture reduction or 1,500 bushels per hour at 5 points moisture reduction.

• New 22,000-bushel wet storage bin.

• Three conveyors for moving wet and dry grain throughout the grain system.

Learn more about Hoosier Agri-Matic at hoosierag.com.