Invest in your farm with Ensign Storage Solutions

by Jaco Cilliers

Storing grain on your farm has many benefits. You can keep the grain and wait for the market price to rise. You also save money on the storage costs you would have to incur to store grain in the co-op silo. Installing your own grain storage facility on your farm is an investment that will pay for itself over time. Ensign Storage Solutions has been a manufacturer and distributor of high-quality storage solutions since 2018. They also specialise in grain handling equipment and water storage products, grain hopper bins as well as automated sheep systems for feedlots. Ensign Storage Solutions relies on their engineering ingenuity and reliability to provide the highest quality products to the Southern African market. Their service is supported by their expert knowledge of the complexities in the grain storage business. Although the company is fairly young, their staff has more than 50 years’ combined experience in the grain and water storage industry. Ensign Storage Solutions can assist any farmer who wants to store his grain to sell at a later stage should it be short term or long term. Different products are available for the different required storage periods. Their solutions can be applied to the commercial farmers as well as the small to medium-scale farmers. Their products are tailored around the needs and wants of the different scale of farming. One such solution is the mesh grain dam, that consist of a re-enforcing mesh with PVC tarp and PVC top cover. The farmers place the harvested produce in these grain dams to assist with farm loading of trucks and for short term storage until the truck can load. This ensures that harvesting continues without delay. Many farmers use this method to streamline farm loading and to prevent delays in the harvest due to transport availability. The farmer can therefore ensure that the grain comes off the land and is kept in the grain dams until the grain can be transported to the different destinations. The PVC Material used to line the grain dams ranges from 500 gsm to 800 gsm, depending on the application and request from the farmer. All PVC material used is formulated with UV-stabilisers to assist in the longevity of the product. Unique solutions can

Ensign SS has a range of water storage solutions that include these water dams built with high quality, 0,8 mm Aluzinc and a corrugated zinc roof. These dams are available in sizes ranging from 3 m to 15 m in diameter with a hight of 1,55 m or 2,3 m.

be tailored according to the different needs of the clients.

Ensign Storage Solutions manufacture and supply farmers and large co-ops with grain augers for handling grain. There are different models of augers available depending on the needs and applications of the farmers. The standard sizes available are: • 9 metre 40 TPH electrical • 12 metre 40 TPH electrical • 9 metre 40 TPH hydraulic • 12 metre 40 TPH hydraulic

Custom built sizes and capacities are also available on request. These grain storage solutions can be erected for temporary use. Once it is empty, the farmer can remove the auger, fold up the canvas and store it away until the next season when it can be easily erected again. The more permanent structures are built using high-quality 0,8 mm Aluzinc corrugated steel. These structures can easily hold anything from 50 to 150 tonnes of grain. They also provide larger solutions for groups of farmers or co-ops. In this category they are able to supply and construct conventional silos that are built with coated steel and can hold up to 10 000 tonnes of grain. There are also grain bunkers available that has a 250-micron silex plastic ground sheet and 0,8 mm Aluzinc side barriers. The bunker can be covered with a 700 gsm, UV-stabilised ice blue PVC canvas and can hold up to 20 000 tonnes of grain.

The wire mesh dams are built with 6 mm galvanised steel mesh to provide a sturdy structure which is lined with 550 gsm UV-stabilised PVC and has a capacity of 130 tonnes.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused havoc in most of the operations of businesses in the SADC region, except those in the agricultural industry. Ensign Storage Solutions continued with their full range of operations even during the most severe restrictions. They have obtained all the necessary permits and COVID-19 prevention procedure certificates in order to provide their excellent service to farmers throughout the region.

For more information visit their website www.ensignss.com or contact Thoniel van der Walt directly on +27(0)72-212-9273.