In Charles Jackson’s and Co’s 30,000 tons capacity modern grain storage facility, based in Long Buckby, Northamptonshire, the company utilises the Polydry horizontal cooling, drying and ventilation system developed by Polypipe Civils Ltd. Polydry consists of lightweight, perforated, freestanding ducting in food grade high density polyethylene or polypropylene. The pipes are corrugated on the exterior for high impact resistance and stiffness but with a smooth internal bore to maximise airflow through the system. The perforations allow diffused ventilation through the grain but are sufficiently small to prevent entry of even small crops such as rape.

The 3 metre pipe lengths are joined by simple push-fit couplers that incorporate an anti-roll moulding for floor stability and are in standard sizes from 225 to 600mm diameter. The light weight of the ducting makes moving, assembly and disassembly quick and easy, and the durability of the system is underlined by a lifetime guarantee on all parts except fans.

Charles Jackson & Co. have developed an extremely successful Grain Marketing Partnership, a system designed to service equally the needs of farmers and end users. Working on a commission basis only and utilising the hedge facilities of the Futures Markets of the London Commodity Exchange, the company arranges contracts for specific crops well before harvest between grower and end user but allows each party to fix the contract price at his discretion any time pre-delivery.

With regular market information and advice from Charles Jackson & Co., both the farmer and factory buyer can therefore benefit from market movements in his favour. Needless to say, since eventual delivery time is at the discretion of the buyer, warehouse conditions must be of the very best to maintain the premium quality of the stored crops.

The Grain Market Partnership allows each participant to concentrate on his own field of expertise. The farmer produces a high quality crop, Charles Jackson & Co. advises on pricing and timing and Polydry ventilates the grain to ensure quality is maintained until the factory user takes delivery for processing: a partnership indeed!