MEMBER PROFILE
INNOVATION Meets Carbon-Neutral by Lee Griffi Growing up on a grain farm near Carman, Manitoba, Lyall Wiebe had no idea he would wind up selling products to farmers that run on biofuels, many of them made up of agricultural waste products. Triple Green Products makes a variety of heating, drying and dehydrating products that are economically viable and environmentally friendly, reducing carbon tax payouts and putting waste to good use. The company is relatively new in the agricultural manufacturing game, but they feel their innovative and environmentally friendly lineup of machinery will become the norm. Wiebe, who is the general manager of Triple Green Products, said he saw incredible possibilities in some existing innovative products. “Just over two years ago my partners and I were able to acquire a company and along with that came several technologies and the rights to a product line we were also interested in and saw great potential. We knew if we were able to put the resources needed into improving the technology that we would have something that we could take to the next level.” Wiebe was working
as a consultant for the company before the sale and his advice was direct to the then owner. “The previous owner was not willing to invest the money in the technologies needed to take it to the next level, so basically I told him to put a chain across the gate. I knew it would take the investment and a lot of hard work and if we were prepared to do that this could be a big deal.”
anywhere from 30 to 80 percent compared to fossil fuels and there is a quick return on investment (ROI). “The customer is interested in our product. It is a carbon-neutral solution, and it is better for the environment. It really is important to understand that the ROI is three to five years and this factor can vary slightly since fuel costs fluctuate. From a financial standpoint it’s huge.”
Cam Cornelson is a co-owner of the company and said many of their products are currently being outsourced to other manufacturers while the focus right now is to ramp up the sales. “We have dealer development reps in Canada and in the United States and we are actively working on setting up dealers and making sure that more people are aware of the product. Education is a big part of that.” He added that purchasing one of their products is a significant purchase, not an impulse buy.
A Different Way to Dry
The main selling point for Triple Green products ultimately amounts to cost savings and paying less carbon tax. Cornelson said customers can realize
Conventional grain dryers use natural gas or propane as fuel. The basic concept around the BioDryAir grain drying system is to use biomass instead of fossil fuels. Propane is made up of 82 percent moisture and 66 percent natural gas, but Wiebe said there is a better way. “When grain is dried with those two fuels, the moisture is going into the grain you are trying to dry and leads to great inefficiencies. We can burn almost any type of biomass like oat, wheat or corn stover pellets. Farmers can use a hopper bottom bin and an auger, that feeds our system and it’s simple to use.” One of the largest expenses for a farmer is in drying grain, something Wiebe says
BioRoter Dehydrator BioDryAir Grain Dryer
TGF Natural Gas Boiler
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Implement Success | Summer 2021
BioRoter Composter
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