Improving Pivot Irrigation Systems with AutomationDirect
AgricultureApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookHMIIndustryIssue 37 - 2017Learning ResourcesNotebook IssueOperator InterfaceProcess ControlProductProgrammable Control

Improving Pivot Irrigation Systems with AutomationDirect

If you’ve ever taken a long road trip, you’ve probably passed large fields of crops, which every now and then contained odd looking metal pipe structures on wheels stretching across the fields. These metal monsters, known as pivot irrigation systems, are used extensively in agriculture and have greatly improved the efficiency of the crop irrigation…
Pulp Processor Speeds Production of Healthy Supplement
AgricultureApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookAutomationDirect SpotlightDrivesEducation/DIYIndustryIssue 33 - 2015Learning ResourcesMotorsNotebook IssueProcess ControlProductStudent SpotlightStudent Spotlight

Pulp Processor Speeds Production of Healthy Supplement

Students at Penn State have been working on a Baobab pulp processor in conjunction with the residents of villages in Benin, Malawi, South Africa, and Madagascar. Native to Africa, “Baobab” is the common name for the Adansonia tree and the fruit that it bears. There has been quite a bit of hype surrounding the health…
Bale Hay While the Sun Shines: A Revolution in Commercial Hay Production
AgricultureApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookCover StoriesIndustryIssue 17 – 2010Learning ResourcesMachine ControlNotebook IssueOperator InterfacePLCProductProgrammable Control

Bale Hay While the Sun Shines: A Revolution in Commercial Hay Production

A steam generating plant on wheels? That’s right. The DewPoint 6110 hooks up between a large farm tractor and hay balers that make large rectangular bales from 1,500 to 2,000 lb each (Fig. 1). Its purpose is to add moisture to dry hay to prevent mechanical damage to the crop during the baling process. This revolutionary…
Poultry Farm Utilizes PLC Control To Increase Efficiency
AgricultureApplicationApplication StoriesAutomation NotebookFeature StoryFood and BeverageIndustryIssue 8 – 2007Learning ResourcesNotebook IssuePLCProcess ControlProductProgrammable Control

Poultry Farm Utilizes PLC Control To Increase Efficiency

In the New England town of Monroe, New Hampshire, you’ll find picturesque settings filled with family-owned dairy and poultry farms. Situated in the Connecticut River valley at the edge of the White Mountain National Forest is a poultry farm, called Pete and Gerry’s Organics, with something to crow about. Pete and Gerry’s Organics has found…