Optimizing Harvest Efficiency at Innovation Farms with EMILI & The HIVE Motherbin

Elmer’s Manufacturing has been pushing the status quo for on-field transport and continues to do so with the HIVE Motherbin. A recent field test conducted in partnership with EMILI at Innovation Farms showcased its potential to revolutionize field logistics, reduce idle time, and enhance operations.

About EMILI

EMILI is an industry-led non-profit that works collaboratively with producers, industry, and academia to grow a sustainable and economically resilient digital agriculture industry. They launched Innovation Farms in 2016 to provide innovators across industry and academia access to leading-edge equipment, technology, and production practices.

Their goal is to increase the development and adoption of on-farm technology and to equip current and future workers in the agriculture industry with the tools, knowledge, and skills to make informed decisions about data and digital technology.

About The HIVE Motherbin

Motherbin technology was originally developed in Australia, where larger fields are more common, and a need was present for efficient storage with longer transportation between fields.

The HIVE Motherbin is an in-field, portable grain storage solution. The HIVE acts as a buffer, collecting and distributing grain in the field. Grain carts unload without waiting for trucks to arrive, or concern of overloading. The HIVE comes in a 5500-bushel (150 ton) or 8250-bushel (225 ton) capacity, keeping your combines running and reducing combine and tractor idle time.

With two HIVE prototypes running in North America, one was placed at EMILI Innovation Farms to see if the HIVE could streamline harvest logistics.

Objectives

The objective of this partnership was to test the capabilities of the HIVE Motherbin to optimize harvest, improve efficiency, and validate the HIVE CONNECT app.

The HIVE was tested on two fields during harvest, covering a total of 445 acres to help evaluate the HIVE’s capability.

It was placed in an accessible location and remained on the field once filled. Corn was harvested using a combine and unloaded on-the-go into a grain cart, and the cart transferred the grain from its tank to the HIVE. Grain trucks unloaded the grain from the HIVE to storage facilities at the yard site of Innovation Farms, which was 11 kilometres away.

In addition, EMILI used the HIVE CONNECT app, which was accessed using a provided tablet, to remotely monitor weight changes in the HIVE. EMILI also used the CONNECT Joystick to control operations, such as opening and closing the auger gate.

Emili’s Findings

The field test concluded that using the HIVE Motherbin reduced the need for additional staff and equipment, it helped streamline operations, and optimized logistics.

• The HIVE helped reduce harvest operations staffing needs from five staff to three staff, due to the flexibility of the in-field storage.
• The idle time of the combine was minimized from 15% in 2023 (approximately 4 hours on average), to just 5% in 2024 (under 1 hour on average).
• Grain cart idle time reduced from 32% in 2023, to 25% in 2024.

EMILI’s project summary states that having the HIVE for any farming operation will allow for continuous operation, faster offloading, and reduced labor requirements. This offers producers a chance at enhanced efficiency, streamlined logistics, and better control over grain quality throughout the harvest season. If you would like to read the full summary, click here.

The Future of Harvesting with the HIVE Motherbin

The HIVE Motherbin helps a farm operation’s ability to enhance efficiency by reducing harvest operations, minimizing combine and grain cart idle time, and uses industry-leading technology to deliver live weight and load tracking.

“EMILI’s Innovation Farms integrated our HIVE Motherbin prototype into their harvest and collected data that proved the product’s potential to improve harvest logistics,” said Rheal Boileau, Product Development Manager at Elmer’s Manufacturing. “EMILI’s years of historical data at Rutherford’s operation gave a baseline for comparison that boosted us forward in innovation.”