Optimised moisture management also lowers environmental impact. (Image credit: Hydronix)

Grain is a natural product, and its moisture content varies due to growing conditions, weather during harvest, threshing, and storage.

Once harvested, grain is processed in mills where it is flaked, rolled, or ground into flour.

Moisture affects every stage of milling influencing machinery performance, material flow, and product consistency. Achieving the right moisture content prevents spoilage, ensures stable storage, and extends shelf life. By accurately measuring and controlling moisture throughout the process, mills can optimise performance, reduce energy use, and cut costs. Consistent control leads to higher yields, improved quality, and less waste.

Where to Measure

Installing sensors at key points maximises return on investment:

1. Raw material intake
2. Raw material drying
3. Transfer points
4. Conditioning
5. Milling
6. Post-milling stages

Why Measure Moisture?

Traditional laboratory testing involves sampling material from the process flow. While accurate for that moment, it is slow and cannot reflect real-time variations.

Continuous, online measurement provides instant feedback, enabling automatic process adjustments. Continuously measuring the moisture content maintains optimal conditions, ensures consistent product quality, and prevents material losses during processing or storage.

Case Study

Manual control can be inconsistent and slow, often achieving moisture accuracy only within ±1%.

By installing sensors directly into the dryer, mills can achieve precision control of ±0.5% of the target moisture. This accuracy is primarily limited by the laboratory reference method used to verify readings rather than the sensor technology itself.

In one Hydronix customer’s rice mill, integrating moisture sensors into the dryer reduced broken rice by 2.5%, producing an additional 400 kg of usable product per 16-tonne batch - a significant gain in yield and profitability.

Conclusion

Online moisture measurement enables immediate, automatic adjustment to process conditions. Real-time control improves yield, reduces energy consumption, and ensures consistent quality. Optimised moisture management also lowers environmental impact.

Adding Hydronix sensors to existing systems is straightforward and offers a fast, measurable return on investment.

Speak to a Hydronix expert to learn how accurate moisture control can transform your milling process.

Sumitomo Chemical aims to promote regenerative agriculture and build a more sustainable global food system. (Image credit: Sumitomo Chemical)

Japan’s Sumitomo Chemical has announced a major step towards advancing sustainable agriculture by reorganising its U.S. operations to strengthen its biorational business

The company will merge Valent BioSciences LLC (VBS), McLaughlin Gormley King Company (MGK), and Valent North America LLC (VNA) into one integrated entity. The newly formed company, Sumitomo Biorational Company LLC (SBC), will begin operations in Libertyville, Illinois, in April 2026. This hub will lead innovation in environmentally friendly farming technologies and deliver comprehensive, sustainable solutions worldwide.

Sumitomo Chemical’s Agro & Life Solutions Sector operates on two strong foundations – crop protection products and biorationals. With growing global demand for agricultural solutions that reduce environmental harm, the market for biorationals is set to expand steadily. The company aims to more than double its biorationals sales to around 150 billion yen by the 2030 financial year, compared to 2024 levels.

According to the company, “Valent BioSciences LLC (“VBS”), McLaughlin Gormley King Company (“MGK”), and Valent North America LLC (“VNA”)—Sumitomo Chemical’s U.S. subsidiaries will be integrated into the surviving company VBS, which will be renamed Sumitomo Biorational Company LLC (“SBC”). SBC will commence operations in Libertyville, Illinois, starting April 2026, as the Group’s global hub driving innovation in this field, and it will provide comprehensive and sustainable biorational solutions across the world.”

By consolidating research, manufacturing, and sales within SBC, Sumitomo Chemical aims to build a more efficient and streamlined structure. This integration is expected to enhance collaboration, reduce duplication, and strengthen the company’s position as a global leader in sustainable agricultural technologies.

SBC will serve as the central hub for the company’s innovation in biorationals, driving new advancements that support sustainable development, environmental protection, and improved agricultural productivity. Its work will span various sectors including crop health, pest management, forestry, and animal health.

Additionally, Valent USA LLC will become a wholly owned subsidiary of SBC and continue to manage crop protection product development and sales across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Through this reorganisation, Sumitomo Chemical aims to promote regenerative agriculture and build a more sustainable global food system. The company continues to focus on delivering unique technologies that help farmers produce healthy crops, protect the environment, and ensure long-term agricultural growth.

Magüey Green is showing that greener farming can also mean fairer opportunities.(Image credit: Magüey Green)

At Magüey Green, farming innovation goes hand in hand with social inclusion and environmental care

This forward-thinking fertiliser company has made it its mission to support both the land and the people who work it especially those with disabilities. Through sustainable agricultural solutions, Magüey Green is showing that greener farming can also mean fairer opportunities.

"The Magüey Green project was started by Miguel Ángel López, an agricultural production expert, who began developing eco-friendly products to address the issue of nitrate filtration into the Mar Menor," said Juan Antonio López García, the company's manager. "From there, the idea emerged to create a line of fertilizers that help retain water and nutrients in the soil, reducing both environmental impact and input use."

Operating from the Polígono Industrial Oeste in Alcantarilla (Murcia), Magüey Green functions as a special employment centre, offering stable jobs and training for people with functional and intellectual diversity. "We wanted these individuals to have stable employment, training, and a real opportunity for inclusion," López García added. "After presenting the project to the SEPE and obtaining authorisation, we launched this fusion of industrial activity with a social mission, which has now been running for three years."

Inside the facility, workers blend, package, and prepare the company’s signature products. Among them, Fertired stands out as a revolutionary solution for modern farmers. Designed for use in irrigation systems, it helps the soil retain water and nutrients, reducing nitrate leaching and protecting nearby water sources like the Mar Menor.

"Each molecule can retain up to 300 times its volume in water, keeping it available for the plant for about 30–40 days," López García added. "This allows us to reduce water and fertilizer use by more than 30%. In fact, trials conducted in pepper crops have shown efficiency increases of over 50% under greenhouse conditions."

Alongside Fertired, Magüey Green produces certified biofertilisers and natural fungicides that meet EU organic standards. As López García said, "Our goal is not only to improve crop efficiency but also to show that agriculture can foster inclusion and opportunity. We want every litre of product we make to carry a story of sustainability, and of people who overcome challenges every day."

Benefits of regenerative agriculture for small farms.

In a move set to transform small-scale farming, Advancing Eco Agriculture (AEA) and the Market Gardener Institute (MGI) have joined forces to deliver regenerative agriculture solutions tailored specifically for market gardeners and smallholder farmers

This farmer-focused partnership aims to make proven ecological practices more accessible, empowering growers to improve soil health, crop quality, and overall farm resilience.

“I’m thrilled to announce a new collaboration between AEA and the Market Gardener Institute,” said MGI founder Jean-Martin Fortier. “After years of conversations with John Kempf, we both feel our organizations have reached a moment where we must join forces to empower the next generation of small-scale organic growers with cutting-edge knowledge, tools, and science. Together, we’re launching new research trials that will help refine and share regenerative practices for the farms of tomorrow. The future is now.”

AEA, known for its regenerative agriculture protocols and plant nutrition expertise, is working alongside MGI’s globally respected training programmes. The result is a practical, science-backed initiative that aims to benefit growers from the ground up. Field trials are already underway to test soil-building methods and boost crop resilience across various garden systems, delivering insights that small farmers can immediately put into practice.

With many African farmers facing rising input costs and degraded soils, regenerative agriculture offers a sustainable alternative. This partnership seeks to lower the barriers for adopting eco-friendly farming by co-developing a new product line tailored to small growers' unique needs. Available now for pre-sale, these tools are designed to support healthier soils, pest-resistant plants, and more abundant, nutrient-rich harvests. MGI students will also benefit from exclusive discounts, making high-impact tools more affordable.

“Regional and local food production is absolutely critical for a food-secure future,” said AEA founder John Kempf. “AEA’s regenerative toolkit will be a game-changer for market gardeners and small growers. Together with the Market Gardener Institute, we’ll be able to revolutionize the way market gardeners approach plant nutrition, bringing them pest-resistant crops, and bountiful harvests of nutrient-dense, marketable produce.”

At its heart, this collaboration promotes a future where growers, regardless of their farm size, have access to science-driven, farmer-tested methods that build ecological and economic resilience. It marks a new chapter in global regenerative agriculture—one led by small-scale growers with big ambitions.