Luckey Farmers Gains Efficiency with Kahler Automation

By CropLife Staff|July 6, 2018

What They Needed

The customer was looking at designing a facility very similar to its Graytown location, with a few modifications. Luckey Farmers had an existing UAN tank on-site that was not automated; the tank was in a good location to serve current customers and grow with them as they expanded. The company wanted to add a 24/7 bay to allow it to serve its customers without an employee on-site. In addition, it needed other liquid fertilizers to do some blending, as well as chemical dispensing that would utilize bulk chemical tanks and shuttles. All of this had to interface with its existing agronomy and accounting software to make billing easier and less time-consuming.

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View from the west of Luckey Farmers in Bradner, OH.
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Luckey Farmers' Bradner, OH, team (from left): Dakota Wendt, Tyler Schwartz, Jim Walter, Gary Schober, Shane Coger, Adam Brossia (Branch Manager), Keith Shively, Chris Voland, and Mike Joseph.
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Mass flows for fertilizers, two bays on each side.
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Mass flow meters for chemical inject.
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KA-2025 kiosk for access to self-serve unstaffed bay.
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Pre-wired MCCs manufactured in Kahler Automation’s UL control panel shop.
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Pumps for outdoor storage tanks.
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Touch-screen access in self-serve unstaffed bay.
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View from the east of Luckey Farmers.

What We Designed

Kahler Automation started with the design from Luckey Farmers’ Graytown, OH, location, adding a 24/7 bay for a total of three bays. We used separate meters for each bay so they had the ability to simultaneously dispense straight product or splash-blend in the truck out of all bays at the same time. We also provided meters for the bulk chemicals, so they could inject into the carrier line for hot loading or divert to pistol grips to fill shuttles or trucks. We provided a weigh tank with the ability to inject chemicals from shuttles or hand-added materials for hot loading on less-used products. Kahler Automation provided a pre-wired motor control center that saved labor and simplified the electricians’ job onsite. Kahler’s Terminal Management and Plant Supervisor software were able to interface to their accounting package, tying everything together and reducing paperwork for their office staff. Luckey Farmers is able to successfully stage orders allowing them to maximize use of all three bays at once.