Swine at the farm nourished in part by well-ground feed
by Blake Sandnes
Ag Feed
CHALLENGE
Endurance Roll Program Icon.

New Vision Co-op was growing and had a need for bigger machines with more capacity.

SOLUTION
View of a roll change

After they built a new facility, they installed 2 – 12 x 52 RMS Quad Pair Roller Mills, 2 – 12 x 52 RMS Triple Pair Roller Mills, and 1 – 12 x 52 RMS VersaMill®.

RESULT
Testing and Consulting Icon.

With their new RMS machines, they experienced longer roll life and more consistent particle sizes.

Overview:

RMS recently had the opportunity to meet with Shad Jacobs, Feed Operations Manager for New Vision Co-op. This cooperative in southern Minnesota offers a variety of goods and services related to agriculture, such as crop inputs, grain handling, energy products, and agronomy services.To support their mission, Shad and New Vision are currently using:

We wanted real-world feedback on how our machines are performing, and Shad was generous enough to share his front-line experience and observations with us.

The Problem: Growth!

A front view of an RMS Triple Pair Mill.According to Shad, there wasn’t really one particular problem they were trying to solve when they looked to partner with RMS. Rather, their company was growing and they needed bigger machines that could handle a higher volume.New Vision needed more equipment, and they needed it to be durable. When they built their Magnolia facility in 2012, that’s when they installed two 12 x 52 Quad Pair roller mills.

After the 2012 expansion, they underwent another expansion. According to Shad:“That’s when we put in the other 12 x 52 Triple Pair traditional belt-driven mill. We configured that second 12 x 52 a little bit differently by setting the motors up on frequency drives. That way, we could control the differentials between the roll sets. That’s right about the time RMS came out with the VersaMill®. That mill really interested me and our group because it already had some of the features we were trying to achieve on our own.”

Solution: Flexibility

A front view of an RMS VersaMill®.While the Quad Pair roller mills and the Triple Pair mills were performing admirably, it was the VersaMill® that really hit the sweet spot in getting the specific grinds they were trying to achieve with their own modifications.

The flexibility of the VersaMill® allowed the New Vision team to perfectly adjust the differentials, rolls, and speeds to improve their grinds, lower their standard deviation, and achieve finer grinds. The difference between the VersaMill® versus other machines was obvious. As Shad confirmed, “I’ve looked around at other companies, but RMS is a very innovative and technology-driven company. I liked the way they look to get ahead in the industry and try to improve things.”

Results: Still Running. Still in Control.

When Shad and the New Vision Co-op first installed their VersaMill®, they were a little concerned about the reliability in regards to the frequency drives they were using. They thought the idea of capturing the lost energy and making the machine more efficient was a great concept, but they were more concerned about it running well and being reliable.

One other area of concern was the u-joints. They were planning to run their VersaMill® and other RMS machines pretty hard, so they were suspicious about how well they would hold up. However, for the four years they’ve had them, the mills have held up and are still going.

Specifically with their VersaMill®, they’ve experienced almost one and a half times more roll life measured in bushels through the rolls between changes. That’s grinding for lower particle size, too. Shad explained that he likes being able to grind 400 microns and below, and they have been able to achieve that with the VersaMill®.

Meanwhile, they practically doubled the rated capacity of a standard, traditional belt-driven mill. His assessment of final results are that RMS’s solutions have been more than satisfactory: “With new things, there are always some growing pains. But in the end, we’re all very happy with their equipment. I know when we first put it in, I had a few doubts. The other employees did, too. But they’re very pleased with the AccuGap® and the roller mill here in Worthington. Magnolia, too.”

Other Helpful Features 

In addition to the VersaMill® and their other roller mills, New Vision Co-op has been utilizing RMS’s AccuGap® to help them achieve more consistent particle sizes. Shad shared that, “When the guys are taking samples and sending them to the lab, our charts are coming out flatter than they used to be before we had the AccuGap® controls. We don’t see the variation in the grind anymore.” New Vision Co-op also started using RMS’s ParticlePro™ particle size measurement equipment. Although this is still a relatively new implementation, they are already benefiting from having the ability to see in real-time what their machine is doing and having it be able to correct itself if it gets out of the particular range that they’re trying to achieve.

Learn More About New Vision Co-op

We greatly appreciate Shad’s time in providing us with his first-hand experiences with our machines. We encourage you to learn more about his work and New Vision Co-op. They provide their farmer members with fuel delivery, propane sales, feed, and animal nutrition supplies, as well as maintenance and repair services for equipment. By offering these goods and services, New Vision Co-op assists southern Minnesotan farmers in being more productive and successful, which boosts the local economy and contributes to a reliable food supply for the area and beyond.

Learn More About RMS Roller Grinder

RMS Roller-Grinder builds and services the best roller mills and equipment for all our customers’ unique grinding applications. If you need a consultation on installing a new machine, we can partner with you to ensure you receive the best and most reliable products and support. Our goal is to leave you with peace of mind by doing whatever it takes to remove the troubles and frustration from your entire system.

Interested in learning more about a roller mill for your application?

Let’s set up a time to talk…

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