Progress 09/01/06 to 08/31/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The first project goal was to design, test and build a test market pneumatic conveyance system to integrate into the developed seed dislodgement technology of Arbuckle Ranch, Inc. The second project goal was to design a market model of a smoothly meshed Seedster in 2007. An added result was a simple second model design with pneumatic conveyance based on impelled air. All systems mesh with existing Arbuckle technology to dislodge difficult-to-harvest native grass seeds by plucking rather than threshing. The Seedster seed dislodgement mechanism increased seed flow from species that are difficult to harvest with a combine or stripper. The awns, calluses, and other appendages on many native grass seed species make them difficult to thresh, but the same characteristics ease plucking. A project hypothesis was air borne seed flow needs to be pneumatically engaged and transferred to a collection receptacle because awns, calluses and appendages often plug conveyance augers or elevators. The first model of Arbuckle Native Seedster has a suction fan and seed collection on a trailer. This model was commercially released harvester in July 2007, and two units were sold and delivered in late 2007. The first sale resulted in the customer saying the harvester was much better than anything else they had tried to harvest switchgrass. The second model is lower cost, quickly built, and more maneuverable. Cost savings are the result fundamentally of the fact that it is easier to push air than to suction it. The second model integrates seed dislodgement, conveyance and collection in one unit on the loader arms of a tractor. Another proposed output was a small development and testing harvester, called the test bed. The test bed was vital to develop the second model and will screen future opportunities for Seedster technology harvest other seeds. The test bed can have different brush diameters, comb diameters, and comb shapes. It developed test data on shapes and placement of a simple air flow mechanism and the effects of different brush diameters, comb diameters, and comb shapes. The website nativeseedsters.com is the principle means of disseminating information to producers and the public about the first model, the two new models and others in the future. Key words lead producers of other types of difficult to harvest seed to contact Native Seedsters. The SBIR award helped mobilize a grant to study the morphology of the 197 species of native grass seed that are commercially traded. The purpose was to identify and analyze characteristics that are to the technical advantage of Seedster technology. Sections of the copyrighted study report that are of interest to producers and the public will be posted on the Native Seedster website. The feasibility of a concept Seedster for camelina and canola will be tested, based on the hypothesis that modified Seedster seed dislodgement technology will be an advantage for these shatter prone seeds. Reduced shatter loss and improved handling and separation of fractions would advance the productivity of oil seeds harvest. A smaller Seedster is being developed that will harvest wild flower and shrub seeds. PARTICIPANTS: 1. The Project Director (PD) was Lee Arbuckle, president of Native Seedsters, Inc. (NSI). Lee was born and raised on a Montana ranch and has spent a lifetime working in different parts of agriculture and the agribusiness system, in the U.S. and abroad. This includes assembling the pieces of the old time family ranch of 19,650 acre, the Arbuckle Ranch, Inc. Lee also worked in agricultural finance, and for nearly 20 years in agricultural and rural development overseas for the U.S. government. Lee holds an M.S. in applied economics from Montana State University, with a farm and ranch management focus. Lee has an M.B.A. from the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration at Dartmouth College, where he was named an Edward Tuck scholar. Lee oversaw the organization of Native Seedsters, Inc. (NSI) and the development of its business strategy and the financing. NSI is a fully owned subsidiary of Arbuckle Ranch, Inc. In the course of the project, NSI sold its first commercial model of the Arbuckle Native Seedster (the Seedster) to the Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation in Ardmore Oklahoma. 2. The Principal Investigator of the project was Dr. Brian Sindelar, a range scientist. Dr. Sindelar's specialty is in range ecology. Dr. Sindelar has many years of working with native grasses and worked on an earlier pair of Phase I and Phase II projects that established the technical and commercial feasibility of the patented seed dislodgement technology in the Seedster that consists of the counter-rotating brush and combing drum. Dr. Sindelar was on the faculty of Montana State University for years currently operating a range management consulting business. 3. The AOR for the project was Maggie Arbuckle. Maggie holds a B.S. in business administration cum laude from Northeastern University. Maggie worked for many years overseas for the U.S. Agency for International Development. 4. The design engineer for the project was Wade Wolf. The PD organized a Design Review Committee for Arbuckle Ranch, Inc./NSI to support the design and testing of the two prototype pneumatic conveyance systems developed in the course of the project. Numerous occasion engineers and other specialists were called on to constructively review and support Wade's design work. Partner Organizations 1. The most noteworthy partner organization was the Montana Board of Research and Commercialization Technology (MBRCT). MBRCT funded a research to document the characteristics of native grasses that cause their seed to be difficult to harvest. Initial screening was done of the 999 species of native grass in the continental U.S. , with in depth description of the 197 species that were found to have a commercial market. In addition MBRCT funded high speed video (HSV) analysis of Seedster operation, with special attention to seed dislodgement and seed flight patterns. TARGET AUDIENCES: The target audience was made up of producers of native grass seed who were potential customers for the Seedster. First it was important to identify who these producers are and where they operate. NSI developed a prospect list of over 300 producers. Second it was important to understand what these producers believed were the priorities for the attributes and features the Seedster should possess. This was accomplished by interviews with selected producers and direct participation in design and testing by Richard Dunne, one of the pioneer native grass seed producers in the Mountain West. Third it was important to design and manufacture prototypes and then commercial native grass seed harvesters that possessed the desired attributes. By testing the Seedster in the fields of cooperating producers and potential customers the extent to which the Seedster fulfilled producer expectations. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: This is the most interesting aspect of the project. The initial intent of the PD and the project team was to develop a vacuum fan and cyclone separator to collect grass seed in flight that had been dislodged by the core technology of counter-rotating brush and combs. Extensive work was done with pitot tube analysis to develop a nozzles, conveyance tubes, a cyclone separator and a collection hopper on a trailer. This was known as the PCS-Vac model. Despite success in selling the PCS-Vac, one of which remains in producer's hands, problems with occasional plugging persisted. The PD decided to draw on the analysis and lessons learned and developed an alternative model, the FH, or front hopper model. The FH design is available in three widths the FH-2, the FH-3 and the FH-4. All seed harvest functions are integrated in the front hopper unit. The 24 inch brush operating at 300 rpm or more generates air flow which properly channeled propels most of the dislodged seed to the collection hopper at the rear. There is a small amount of seed that is not dislodged with enough force to be propelled into the air flow. This seed is propelled by a strategically placed small air assist brush thus replacing the entire system of nozzles, tubes, cyclone separator and trailer.
Impacts
A switchgrass Seedster model will be delivered to Ceres. The ability of Seedster technology to harvest switchgrass will support development of switchgrass as a feedstock for cellulosic conversion ethanol. Two embodiments of pneumatic conveyance technology were developed with SBIR funds and Arbuckle Ranch resources. The simpler front hopper with air boost technology expands the market for Seedster technology. The technical feasibility of Seedster technology will be tested for camelina and canola especially the ability of the Seedster to deal better with shattering. USDA/SBIR market research funds through Foresight Technologies were used in 2007 to survey commercial producers of wildflower seed about their design priorities. The result is a two module Seedster design of a wild flower and shrub seed harvester for smaller tractors and smaller plots. A valuable R & D technique was structured survey of end users to identify their top priority attributes. Expressed priorities were little tendency to clog or plug, ease of cleanout, and that conveyance capacity exceed seed dislodgement capacity. Some producers also gave priority to handling different shapes and sizes of seed, and to not damage seed. A capable market researcher in technology transfer was used because Seedster technology didn't yet exist. Identified priorities constantly guided design. Producer reactions led to design simplification and increased maneuverability. Initial producer priorities were met, as well as priorities that emerged during prototyping. Producers inspired the second model that integrates dislodgement, conveyance and collection in one unit on the loader arms, the front hopper Seedster. Using Arbuckle Ranch, Inc fund, a simple air boost mechanism for the fraction of seed that is weakly impelled was developed with air visualization tests on a proposed project funded output, the small development and testing harvester, know as the test bed. The test bed optimized sizes and shapes of pneumatic components and seed dislodgement components to produce smooth air flow at the saltation velocity of native grass seed. Pitot tube tests assessed air flow and pressure differentials produced by iterations of shapes. Field test findings validated shop findings. Best practices of rapid prototyping sped design and testing. In a mere six months the team produced and field tested three model generations and a final prototype of the Seedster-FH. On average, one pass of the Seedster harvested 5.6 times as much little bluestem seed as one pass of the Flail Vac. The principal strategic issue for NSI is selecting potential applications of Seedster technology with the greatest immediate potential to fund business expansion with profits. For each species performance standards should be defined and performance improved, especially for the percentage of standing seed recovered, based on hand harvest control plots, and economically optimal ground speed. Other important performance objective to harvest target species are how to minimize the percentage of impurities in the collected material, and how to minimize offloading time and cleanout time.
Publications
- No publications reported this period
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Progress 09/01/06 to 08/31/07
Outputs
The first project activities with the prototype Seedster with pneumatic conveyance system were to design, construct, shop test, and then field test on a field of canada wildrye at Bruce Seed Farms in Townsend, Montana in August, 2006. Direct observations on functionality of the pneumatic conveyance system and statistical findings were recorded. A second cycle of R & D immediately commenced. The second cycle consisted of two stages, a first stage to incorporate and test as many changes to design as possible in the waning months of the 2006 season. The most important revision was a combing drum that better meshed the front end seed dislodgment with the new pneumatic conveyance system. Several minor changes were made to the pneumatic conveyance system. Field tests in October 2006 at Bismarck Plant Materials Center (PMC) on little blue stem demonstrated the Seedster to personnel of the PMC and explained Seedster design principles. Very positive results were evident in
Seedster collection of 161 lb per acre in one pass compared to the PMC Flail Vac collection of 116 lb per acre in four passes at optimal settings. The second R & D cycle took place between October 2006 and May 2007. Extensive analysis of the combing drum design and the pneumatic conveyance system led to further changes, culminating in a mature design of the comb drum and a production prototype pneumatic conveyance Seedster with off-loading system. Lee Arbuckle was invited to present the technology to the International Conference on Crop Harvesting and Processing/ Agricultural Equipment Technology Conference of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers in Louisville, KY. The talk received a very good response. Native Seedsters had a booth at the National Farm Show that generated nearly fifty sales leads for anticipated product launch in 2007. The prototype Seedster was completed with proper commercial fit and finish to demonstrate to potential customers. The first
demonstration was at Hedgerow Farms in California to five producers from the Pacific states during one week in early May. Demonstrations were done on purple needlegrass and meadow barley and other species. A lot of interest was generated but no sales resulted. Careful note was taken of producer opinions to incorporate in minor design modifications by the end of June. Sales and promotional efforts began in earnest in July. Issues of layout, jigs, fixtures, and flow were addressed with the contract manufacturer, Midland West Manufacturing of Billings, MT. A demonstrator unit embodying final design was completed and demonstrated in July to potential customers. The first commercial Seedster sale was made to Noble Foundation of Ardmore OK. Further demonstrations took place to a farmer in Iowa in September and a presentation in Wisconsin was prepared for several people from Illinois and Wisconsin in early October.
Impacts
Awareness of the Seedster has changed noticeably on a national and international scale by using a web-leveraged marketing strategy that presents the Seedster in text, pictures and video online. The website is www.nativeseedsters.com. An extensive database of native grass seed producers nationwide was completed and continues to expand by contacts from producers. An analysis of plant and seed morphological characteristics that affect harvestability of 205 commercially traded species of native grasses in the 21 western states was completed with the objective of increased understanding of native grass harvestability and advantages of Seedster technology. A grant from the State of Montana financed the study. Summary results were presented in draft to the Steering Committee of the Plant Materials Centers of NRCS/USDA in November, 2006. A follow on grant is being used to complete the data base for species of the 27 states in the eastern U.S. The copyrighted material will be
published on-line in early 2008. Critical comments on this first edition will be invited and technically reviewed to produce a second web-published edition. Interest in the Seedster is being expressed for several unexpected applications. After six or seven Seedsters are sold and operating in the field, adoption of this revolutionary technology will accelerate. Testimonials by pioneers and early adopter are anticipated. Producers operating the Seedster in the field will devise new uses and applications, and be a source of ideas for design modification and feature enhancement. Producer feedback has led to two more design configurations of the technology scheduled to be introduced by completion of the USDA/SBIR project. An R & D activity is being financed by Idaho Department of Fish and Game to achieve a specific objective of harvesting sagebrush seed mechanically. Negotiations with a private company will lead to a major R & D activity to develop a specialized Seedster and subsequent
sales of several Seedsters. Over 150 potential customers that expressed interest in the Seedster through telephone or email contacts are on the active prospect list. Louisville Farm Show contacts, seven publications on the Seedster, and two TV programs caused many of these people to contact Native Seedsters. No producer behavior changes are evident yet. The Seedster is expected to impact greater availability of hard to harvest seeds when more Seedsters are sold and in operation. Both actions of customers and impact on market conditions are expected to be evident anecdotally by the end of the project. The first commercial sale and delivery took place, and production capacity is coming into place. A collaborative development agreement that leads to sale of ten units or more for a specialized application nears completion. The most important outcome is that the technology is commercially launched before project completion.
Publications
- Sindelar, Brian, King, Andrew and Arbuckle, Lee. "Seed Morphology of Native Perennial Grasses with Relevance to the Arbuckle Native Seedster." Copyright 2007 Native Intelligence,LLC
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