Grain Flow Gauge Wins Student Pitch Competition

Connecting Students to Industry

Grain Flow Gauge Wins Student Pitch Competition

Technology is ever advancing, and with it comes solutions to problems no one even knew existed. As new technologies are developed and tested, impact on the bottom line is being scrutinized more than ever. However, increased attention on cost effectiveness when integrating a new technology has created an opportunity for solutions that are less complicated, and maybe a bit more analog.

This was certainly the case for the 2021 UFA Student Pitch Competition winner — Daniel Stefner, a recent graduate of the Bachelor of Applied Science, majoring in AgriBusiness at Olds College. Daniel won the annual competition for his innovative ag idea that aims to save producers time and money when moving and treating seed by using a tool he developed to measure flow application.

So where exactly did Daniel come up with his idea? Originally from the city of St. Albert, Daniel developed an interest in agriculture from spending time on his grandparents farms. After receiving his Digital Media and IT, Business Analysis diploma from NAIT, Daniel returned to his agricultural roots and worked on numerous commercial grain farms and even went on a rural exchange to New Zealand. It was during this time that Daniel began noticing quantifiable areas for improvement to the bottom line of grain farming. Now committed to pursuing a career in agriculture, Daniel decided to return to school and enrolled in the Agriculture Management program at Olds College which he then used to complete his Bachelor of Applied Science in 2021.

After spending four years studying at Olds College, along with his experience working on commercial grain farms, Daniel was able to identify a common issue across the industry — producers were relying on their own judgement to gauge the amount of seed or seed treatment being used. With no system or equipment in place to accurately measure, producers are “playing the guessing game” which can result in over application, product bridging, inaccurate quantity measurements, or under application which creates the opportunity to build pesticide resistance.

“Without professional seed treating equipment producers are guessing grain flow rates during the application of seed treatment products,” comments Daniel. “Seed treatment is expensive. So having the ability to determine precise application would make a noticeable difference to the bottom line.”

Daniel sought out to find a simple solution to long-standing and costly industry practice of eyeballing the application of seed and seed treatment. Through the mentorship he received during the competition process, Daniel was able to develop the Hopper Bottom Grain Flow Gauge, a tool that can be used to measure the flow of seed when exiting a hopper bottom bin. By participating in the UFA Student Pitch Competition, Daniel won the opportunity to partner with the United Farmers of Alberta (UFA) to further develop and market his winning idea.

“I try to be mindful of ways I can improve processes by keeping things simple and efficient. Even working in Ag Technology, I find my ideas tend to lean less technical. I understand firsthand the value of something that’s easy to set up.”

As a second time semi-finalist, having also participated in the competition in 2020, Daniel, along with four other semifinalists, were provided business strategists as mentors, $1,500 tuition credit and $500 UFA credit to further develop their ideas. On April 13, the five semi-finalists pitched their innovative ag ideas to a panel of judges from the UFA in the “Dragons Den” style competition, which was once again held virtually due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The judges then scored each presentation using select criteria, and announced Daniel and his pitch for his hopper bottom grain flow gauge as the winner.

“The whole competition process really helped me to flesh out my idea,” states Daniel. “ I gained a lot of valuable experience and insight from the mentors. They really helped us develop a stronger pitch and ultimately a stronger product.”

Daniel is currently employed as a research technician and farm liaison for the Smart Ag Applied Research Department at Olds College with ongoing collaboration with UFA to help bring the Hopper Bottom Grain Flow Gauge into market.