Weighing Systems for Agricultural Sector

Agriculture, the backbone of civilization, has become increasingly high-tech over the last century. Since the beginning of agricultural, some 10,000 years ago, producing foods and goods through the cultivation of crops, and pastoral herding of livestock has always relied heavily on the use of tools. Early agriculturalist employed simple irrigation systems, sickles and ploughs to assist them in their farming needs. Today, from computer networks to hydraulic tractors to weighing systems, technology is extremely vital to the on-going success of modern agriculture. Although a plethora of tools help farmers with their crops and livestock, a widely used agricultural tool that is not often thought about, is the weighing scale. This simple, yet essential piece of equipment is often utilized in a variety of farming tasks. The crops that are produced are often bought and sold. The cost of the goods usually depends on the amount of crop. This is easily obtained by weighing the crop load. Platform scales, drum scales and floor scales measure these weights in order to provide accurate data for price determination. Some industrial scales such as these from Arlyn Scales are also equipped with Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, which can connect the electronic scales to computers, printers, and other such devices. Connection to the Internet is also available. These features allow the farmer to record and store data. Specialized software can be installed to help run reports that can compare prices, crop production, and other such data. Livestock farmers depend on their animals. They strive to foster optimal health for all of their animals. To do so, the proper amount of feed for each animal must be distributed. Weighing the feed is a sure-fire way of keeping the amount of food standard day after day. Often, the feed is a mixture, consisting of such things as corn, grains, and other seeds. Once again, weighing each component of the feed ensures that the accurate amount of nourishment will be given to the livestock. Platform scales, such as the ones offered by Arlyn Scales, are ideal for a task such as this. With their low to the ground platform design, these digital scales make it easy to place bags of feed or feeding materials upon the sensors. The four-sensor formation of the platform scales guarantees accuracy. However, some tasks performed by farmers require high precision scales. Arlyn Scales has both large and small ultra precision scales with super sensitivity up to 20 times that of a regular scale. Another assignment of livestock farmers is to measure the weight of their animals. Certain animals must be in regulated specific weigh parameters. Animals that weigh too much or too little could cost the farmer. Several types of veterinary scales and animal scales have been developed that are specifically created for the weighing of farm animals. These livestock scales have several design features that make it optimal for farm use. The highly specialized Weight Average and Hold option is one that many farmers just cannot live without. This feature allows accurate measurement of their livestock, even if the animal is moving around. Specialized software filters out the animal’s movement and retains only accurate weight measurement. The digital display will lock the weight and the animal can be removed from the scale platform without the weight disappearing from the display screen. The scale operator can release that weight and weigh another animal instantly. Another feature of these animal scales is the rugged construction that withstands the harsh conditions of a farm. The stainless steel load sensors ensure durability against wear-and-tear. The entire scale is sealed, therefore providing a water resistance. There is no need to worry about the veterinary scales in rain or light animal waste. For scales that can endure the harsher conditions of agriculture, Arlyn Scales provides water resistant platform scales and floor scales. These scales are also constructed in welded steel, but an additional zinc rich epoxy coating is applied to the scale. This layer protects the scale from moisture and chemicals. It is ideal for agriculturalists that weigh fertilizer, pesticides, and other chemicals. These materials can be weighed on corrosion resistant platform scales, floor scales, or more efficiently, on drum scales or cylinder scales. One of the newest scales from Arlyn Scales specifically designed for agriculture is the automated pig sorter scale. Created from the Smart Source Innovation division of Arlyn Scales, this swine scale encompasses top-rated technology in its design. This pig scale’s construction is both rugged and animal friendly. The scale has Stainless Steel Load sensors with 500% overload capability. It has an open frame, comfortable flooring, and a fail-safe mode that helps protect the animal against injury and stress. The pigs’ weights are recorded and analyzed. Diets engineered to suit the animals’ needs are produced and the animal is guided to the appropriate feeding area. This pig sorting scale saves the farmer time and money and as a result lower costs to the consumers.