Chapter 1.5

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1.5 - Evaluation of Low-Cost Fanning Mills for Cleaning Seed


Jordan Garlough, University of Guelph, Canada

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Suggested citation for this chapter.

Garlough,J. (2022) Evaluation of Low-Cost Fanning Mills for Cleaning Seed. In Farmpedia, The Encyclopedia for Small Scale Farmers. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.farmpedia.org

Challenges of Cleaning Seed

Traditional cleaning of seeds from cereals such as rice, barley, and wheat is done through a series of different steps. Threshing is the separation of seeds from straw, husk, leaves, etc. (Slate Run Farm Posts, 2017). This can be done in a variety of ways such as beating the grain heads on the floor, having livestock walk on the grain, or even spreading it out on the road so that cars will separate the seed when they drive over it (Slate Run Farm Posts, 2017). This process is time-consuming and can require multiple people to get it done in a timely manner. Wind winnowing is the next process in which the chaff is removed from the seeds. In strong enough wind, the mix remaining after threshing is tossed into the air (India Environment Portal, 1998). The light-weight chaff is blown away leaving the heavier seeds. This can be done using a shovel, winnowing fork, or by hand using natural wind or a winnowing fan can be used to create wind (India Environment Portal, 1998). This can be time-consuming as it takes at least one person to be constantly working. Additionally, this cannot be done anytime. If there are no winds, then the seed and chaff will simply fall to the ground unseparated. Should there be too much wind, the seeds and chaff will all blow away. A winnowing fan allows the creation of the right wind speed for this process the be done effectively (Garlough, 2021). On the downside, the winnowing fan requires a person to operate it-making the minimum number of people involved two. A simple sieve or mesh can then be used to separate healthy seeds and any remaining chaff. This process is simple and cost-effective, as plastic meshes/sieves can be purchased for about one dollar. These processes are effective in separating seeds and grains however, they can be very time-consuming. The use of a fanning mill could greatly decrease the time the seed cleaning process takes.

What is a Fanning Mill

The fanning mill is a machine that makes use of a fan and a series of different sized meshes and grates to separate healthy seeds, diseased seeds, and chaff (The Globe and Mail, 1920). Fanning mills can be operated with a crank, with an individual turning it, or with an electric motor to do the work for you. The crank or motor is used to turn the fan and shake the grates (Garlough, 2021). The unsorted seeds are dumped in the hopper where they are slowly released into the machine. The seeds are slowly released on the shaking grates where they are blown down the machine by the wind created by the fan (Garlough, 2021). This will allow the seeds to be separated from the chaff due to the difference in weight (The Globe and Mail, 1920). Due to the lightweight and larger size of the chaff, it is unable to fall through the grate with the seeds and is easily blown out of the machine by the fan (Garlough, 2021). In addition to the removal of the chaff, diseased and damaged seeds are also removed. Diseased seeds are often lighter than healthy seeds and as a result, are blown away with the chaff (The Globe and Mail, 1920). Damaged seeds can sometimes make it through the first shaking grate but are removed once they reach the second, finer, grate. The healthy seeds are then collected in a bag, trough, or bucket depending on the make and style of the machine (Garlough, 2021).

Use of the Fanning Mill to Remove Diseased Seed

Smallholder farmers often face the difficulty of diseased crops. Bunts and smuts are a concern for these farmers in Africa as they can greatly reduce yield of a crop and its value and marketability if not dealt with correctly (Agricultural Research Council, n.d.). There is a seed treatment process that is available to prevent bunts and smuts (Agricultural Research Council, n.d.), however, farmers looking to save money or farmers who cannot afford to have their seeds treated may have their crops infected. These diseases can be dealt with using a fanning mill. Bunts and smut balls can be removed during the fanning process along with the chaff and anything else unwanted (Garlough, 2021). In addition to the balls being removed, diseased seeds will be blown, filtered, and separated in the milling process as well.

Cost / Benefit and Critical Analysis

A fanning mill would prove to be very beneficial to smallholder farmers. It can help farmers save money and avoid losing crops to disease by getting rid of diseased seeds in the milling process. The price of a fanning mill can still be considerable for smallholder farmers in developing countries. Despite fanning mills being expensive for farmers, there are opportunities for them to obtain financial aid. A few of these options are purchasing through a farmer cooperative or a women’s farmer group or making use of a local fee-for-service entrepreneur who will sell the use of their fanning mill. Farmers could also make use of 50:50 cost sharing with their government or seek out a micro-loan program to assist in the purchase of a fanning mill. It is possible that a community of farmers could all split the cost of one of these machines. This would allow many of the farmers within the community access to more efficient methods of cleaning seeds and benefit everyone. However, the heavy weight of these machines can make transportation to rural mountainous areas very difficult. Literacy is also a requirement as these machines require considerable training to operate effectively. Manuals must also be in the local language if they are to be of any use to the farmers.

The cost of fanning mills can be expensive for smallholder farmers. However, the benefits of using a fanning mill would be considerable as it would save crops from disease and save a lot of time that would have been used separating seeds using more traditional methods. On average, woman can winnow 10 – 30 kilograms of grain each day (Food and Agriculture Organization, n.d.), while a fanning mill can clean 500 kg of seed per hour with one operator (Sun Agro, n.d.). In one hour, a fanning mill can clean between 16 and 50 times more seeds than one woman can in a day. One hour of running the fanning mill could save 16 to 50 days of work for these women farmers. This is an incredible time saver and will allow these women to perform other tasks with their time.

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Compared to traditional methods of cleaning seed, Figure 1 shows three different fan options. The winnowing fan, Option 1, is a manual fan attached to a crank that can be turned at various speeds to allow another person to clean the seeds. This could be a good option as it does not require waiting for winds strong/weak enough to clean seeds using natural winds (Benson, n.d.). However, it is a two-person job because one person must be operating the fan. By contrast, the small fanning mill (Option 2) is operated using a small crank that generates electricity to power the mill (Sun Agro, n.d.). It can be operated continuously and by a single person. It is a more expensive option, and it is unlikely that many smallholder farmers will be able to purchase one on their own. The last option (Option 3), the fanning mill, is a much larger and more expensive version of the small fanning mill. It is purely electric and can process 4 times the amount of grain as the latter (Meena Industries, n.d.). It is very unlikely that any individual farmer would be able to purchase one on their own.

The fanning mills shown are electric, however, there are options that do not require electricity that would allow farmers to cut down costs of these machines (Garlough, 2021). A manual fanning mill operating by a crank would cost less due to the mill having no electric motor or any electricity requirement for the machine to operate (Garlough, 2021). Furthermore, any expensive motor repairs could be avoided using a manual fanning mill (Garlough, 2021). The development of solar powered technology is much needed and would be massively beneficial in reducing operating costs. Additionally, fanning mills can also make use of a combustion engine as opposed to an electric engine. This would allow farmers who are no connected to a grid to uses powered fanning mills as well.

References

1. Agricultural Research Council. (n.d.). Small Grain Diseases. Retrieved from Agricultural Research Council, South Africa: https://www.arc.agric.za/arc-sgi/Pages/Crop%20Protection/Small-Grain-Diseases.aspx

2. Benson. (n.d.). Benson Mild Steel Manual Winnowing Fan. Retrieved from Indiamart: https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/manual-winnowing-fan-8872939673.html

3. Cleaveland, N. S. (n.d.). Fanning-mill. Retrieved from Pioneergirl: http://www.pioneergirl.com/blog/archives/6013.

4. DanDem34 (Director). (2016). Chatham Fanning Mill [Motion Picture]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBnkqOpHP6Q

5. Flaman Grain Systems. (n.d.). Link Fanning Mill. Flaman Grain Systems. Retrieved from https://www.flamangrainsystems.com/pdfs/downloads/Link-Fanning-Mill.pdf

6. Food and Agriculture Organization. (n.d.). Food and Agriculture Organization. Retrieved from Technical Alternatives: https://www.fao.org/3/t1838e/T1838E0p.htm

7. Garlough, G. (2021, September 30). Former Onterio Federation of Agriculture Director for Dundas County, Ontario, Canada. (J. Garlough, Interviewer)

8. Hutchins, C. A. (1871, November 7). Improvement in Fanning Mills. Retrieved from United States Patent Office: https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/pdfs/8ee4d5ab980512b6b705/US120745.pdf

9. India Environment Portal. (1998, November 14). Winnowing mad easy. Retrieved from India Environment Portal: http://indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/node/30931/

10. Lacey, J. (2002, September 1). The Fanning Mill. Retrieved from Farm Collector: https://www.farmcollector.com/equipment/fanning-mill/

11. Meena Industries. (n.d.). Iron Automatic Winnowing Fan, 1HP, Single Phase. Retrieved from Indiamart: https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/winnowing-fan-22051556262.html

12. Shuda, M. (Director). (2015). Hero fanning mill cleaning oats [Motion Picture]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zKhdxk23LI

13. Slate Run Farm Posts. (2017, June 21). Threshing is done the old-fashioned way at Slate Run Living Historical Farm. Retrieved from Metro Parks: https://www.metroparks.net/blog/threshing/

14. Sun Agro. (n.d.). Sun Agro Mild Steel Agriculture Winnowing Fan, 1 HP, Electric. Retrieved from Indiamart: https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/agriculture-winnowing-fan-22225305788.html

15. The Globe and Mail. (1920, December 17). Fanning mill checks disease: By Removal of Light Seeds and Dirt It Saves Millions of Dollars. Retrieved from The Globe and Mail, Toronto, Canada: https://www.proquest.com/docview/1356515940/fulltextPDF/44E0CCAF70E14C3APQ/1?accountid=11233

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