THE STORE TODAY

The site has 3 flatstores; one 11,000 tonne store which was built in 1986; a 3,000 tonne store extension built in 2011; and a 8500 tonne flatstore built in 2016. The stores have low volume ventilation for cooling and temperature monitoring. Intake is by overhead conveying system and loading out by loading shovel.

There are 23 storage bins of varying size. Three 2,000 tonne long term storage bins and six hopper bins were built in 1979 on the formation of Craven Grain. The remaining 14 800 tonne bins were added in several phases from 1981 to 1984. The bins all have low volume ventilation for cooling and conditioning and temperature monitoring.

The Machinery building houses the main control panel and drier controls. The driers are three vertical full flow driers fuelled by kerosene, with each drier capable of removing 5% of moisture at 40 tonne per hour. The machinery building also houses a cleaner dresser which allows us to clean and dress grain to customer specifications.

There are 3 main intake pits around the site. Having three pits allows us to control down time more closely when taking in varied crops. A daily intake tonnage in excess of 1,000 tonnes is easily achievable, and in 2018 one of the intake pits was upgraded to 120mt per hour.

The office and weighbridge facility contain the main office complex and laboratory. The laboratory is a fully independent certified testing facility. All grain is weighed, sampled, and tested coming into and out of store.

Dependence on the accuracy of the laboratory test equipment is paramount; the test equipment is calibrated and if necessary re-calibrated after daily internal quality control audits. These calibrations and controls are made using proficiency test samples from an independent source (Openfield Grain) as part of a scheme involving hundreds of grain stores across the UK. Using this system allows us to be sure and comfortable with the results we give on testing grain for our members.

Samples are drawn from trailers using an industry standard remote vacuum sampling spear which delivers the sample directly to the laboratory.

The 50 metric tonne weighbridge is calibrated annually by Allweighs Weighing Services, and as we also provide a public weigh service the weighbridge is also checked by trading standards. The weighbridge is "live" to our bespoke grain computer programme: as soon as a members grain is delivered their account will be credited with the nett weight and all specifications.