Recently, IAC (Industrial Accessories Co.), Mission, KS, and AGRA Industries, Merrill, WI, partnered to design and test an enhanced seed recovery and drying technology for hemp.
The partnership began when IAC was contracted to design, construct, commission and operated two 8-ton/hour hemp drying and bagging facilities in Utah and Michigan in September 2019.
IAC completed both projects in parallel with an expedited design, procurement, construction and commissioning activity that only allowed a six-week period, due to crops needing harvest.
During this process, IAC identified a need for enhanced processing equipment to handle the wet and fibrous hemp material at the farm, through drying, extraction and ultimately seed collection.
IAC partnered with Agra Industries to help bring to market an enhanced line of equipment to handle the wet bucking, chopping of the harvested hemp, drying of the hemp, storage and shipping of the material in various stages for extraction.
In addition to providing equipment and construction of the processing facilities, the partnership is focused on assisting growers or large co-op organizations with innovative solutions for fertilization and mold resistance when handling the hemp.
IAC’s extensive industry experience in providing air pollution control equipment, advanced process control software, batch tracking/ticketing and monitoring will also help navigate the future hemp processing regulations.
Through their equipment, the goal was to provide solutions to enhance reliability and profitability from "seed to sale."
“IAC has proven its ability to quickly respond to emerging markets like ethanol, bio-fuels, food processing and other industries and is rapidly gaining traction as a leader in the hemp industry," says Bob Carter, president of IAC. "Our partnership with Agra is key to accelerating a product line that will increase yield and decrease processing times during the 2020 season."
Understanding IAC and Agra Industries have both been in business over 30 years, the combined resources quickly adapted existing technology to process hemp.
Over the past month, while IAC was busy constructing and operating the hemp processing facilities for their Utah and Michigan-based clients, AGRA was successful in obtaining the necessary permits to process hemp in their test facilities -- fine-tuning the new equipment line in Wisconsin.
“We are excited about the partnership with IAC and the distinct synergies between the two companies," says Ernest Hinner, VP of sales & marketing for Agra Industries. "Adding to an impressive EPC project portfolio, IAC brings an elite level of air pollution control, controls automation and processing expertise to this partnership.
"Ultimately, AGRA aims to align our business with innovative partners who are continuously looking for ways to push the status-quo of processing solutions," continues Hinner. "This partnership was developed to offer protection and stability to a rapidly growing market, leading to the ROI our farmers deserve."
