Precision grain drying for peak profit
19th September 2025
Could you save up to 35% of your drier operational running costs per season? Perry of Oakley explains more.
Grain drying is an expensive process. If you contract it out, you are paying to generate profit for someone else. If you do it yourself, you’ve got the costs of buying and operating your own drier.
But with modern technology, Perry of Oakley says it can save up to 35% of your drier operational running costs per season, making your own grain drying operation more profitable and realistic.
That’s a chunky number but what does it actually equate to?
With a throughput capacity drier of 30tph on wheat, drying 6,000t per season, during an average UK summer, based on removing 6% of moisture the saving would be circa. £17,000 per season.
That goes up to £40,000 for a 60tph drier drying 15,000t per season. Please go to Perry’s website for a full description of how this figure is compiled.
Perry of Oakley says farmers need to ask themselves: “What would you do if you saved that much each harvest? What difference would that make to your operation?”
What creates those savings?
There are two key drier add-ons that deliver that big saving and drive your grain profit up:
Grain Sentry – This is an award-winning automated PLC moisture sampling and drier control system. It uses moisture samples automatically obtained from the drier filling and discharge equipment to adjust the speed of the drier which optimises the drier performance, driving up your profit margin.
The Grain Sentry is an intelligent drier operator so lessens the impact should your experienced drier operator leave. Plus, it lessens the amount of time a farm operator needs to be checking the drier.
The Grain Sentry only requires a calibration check once a year (it’s a game changer) and as it takes the readings automatically there’s no manpower lost in ensuring accurate up to date data is being used to run the drier.
Plus the grain is returned to the system so it’s not lost in the process, resulting in no loss of tonnage due to the frequency of the testing.
Grain Sentry can be retro-fitted onto any make of shutter or roller discharge continuous flow grain drier – not just onto Perry driers.
Hot Air Recirculation with insulation – It costs money to heat up the air to dry the grain, so by recirculating the optimum air fraction in the drier, you can reduce your fuel costs by up to 24%.
Worried about drier fires?
Another key challenge with operating a grain drier is drier fires. With Perry’s optional patented Fire Detection System add-on, the system will automatically shut down the drier if it detects abnormal heating in the drying column.
What size drier do I need?
The two Perry drier ranges span throughput capacities from 5tph all the way up to 150tph+ on wheat, and can dry a wide range of combinable crops. Available driers are:
The Mistral – Lower end of the capacity range, offering 5–30tph on wheat. Ideal for farms wanting to start their own grain drying. They are a great alternative to mobile driers. Comes with roller discharge and a hard-wired control panel but can be upgraded to include the Grain Sentry and Fire Detection add-ons.
The Savannah – Designed for large farms and commercial grain stores. Capacity range goes up to 150+tph. Shutter discharge comes as standard for greater control of the drier performance, along with a touchscreen PLC for drier control. Optional extras include Grain Sentry, Fire Detection and Hot Air Recirculation for optimal performance and control.
Who is Perry of Oakley?
Claire Perry, head of operations at Perry of Oakley, says: “We design, manufacture, support and innovate right here in the UK. We are proud to be a family business who have supported the British farming industry for over 78 years.
“We supply everything from drying, handling, storage, cleaning and control for your grain processing needs giving you easier integration.
“We are known for producing a quality product that lasts. We answer our phones outside working hours as we know farming is not a Monday–Friday, 9am to 5pm business. If you want peace of mind that comes with British quality, then Perry of Oakley is the answer.”
Contact Perry of Oakley directly to discuss your next project.
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