Mission, KS – In early September 2019, IAC was contracted to design, construct, commission and operate two (2-8TPH) hemp drying and bagging facilities. IAC completed both projects, in parallel, with an expedited design, procurement, construction and commissioning activity that only allowed a 6-week project completion window, due to crops needing harvest.
During this process IAC identified a need for enhanced processing equipment to handle the wet and fibrous hemp material, through drying, extraction and ultimately seed collection at both farms. IAC partnered with Agra Industries to bring to market an enhanced line of equipment to handle the wet bucking and chopping of the harvested hemp, drying of the hemp, storage, and shipping of the material in various stages for extraction. IAC and Agra are also designing and testing an enhanced seed recovery and drying technology, based on Agra’s proven experience in curing over 1 trillion seeds that are planted by US farmers every year. Through their equipment, proven within various Fortune-500 agricultural facilities around the world, IAC’s goal is to provide solutions to enhance reliability and profitability from “seed-to-sale”.
The IAC and Agra partnership is not only going to provide equipment and construction of the processing facilities, it is focused on assisting growers or large co-op organizations with innovative solutions for fertilization and mold resistance when handling the hemp. IAC’s extensive industry experience in providing air pollution control equipment, advanced process control software, batch tracking/ticketing and monitoring will also help navigate the future hemp processing regulations. Bob Carter, President of IAC stated, “IAC has proven its ability to quickly respond to emerging markets like ethanol, bio-fuels, food processing, and is rapidly gaining traction as a leader in the hemp industry. Our partnership with Agra is key to accelerating a product line that will increase yield and decrease processing times during the 2020 season.”
IAC and Agra Industries have both been in business over 30 years and combined their resources quickly to adapt existing technology to process hemp. Over the past month, while IAC was busy constructing and operating the hemp processing facilities for their Utah and Michigan-based clients, Agra was successful in obtaining the necessary permits to process hemp in their test facilities; fine-tuning the new equipment line in Wisconsin. IAC and Agra combined customer base spans over 100 different industries including Hemp, Ethanol, Corn Seed, Soybeans, Biomass, Cement, Steel, Food Processing, Chemical, Frac Sand, Minerals, Mining, etc.
Hemp is utilized in many different industries and will continue to expand with the recent incorporation of the farm bill. IAC has increased its strength as an experienced Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) company in the hemp industry, through its partnership with Agra. Agra has an amazing reputation in the agricultural processing industry and is seen as an innovator and industry leader. Ernest Hinner, VP of Sales & Marketing for Agra Industries stated, “We are excited about the partnership with IAC and the distinct synergies between the two companies. Adding to an impressive EPC project portfolio, IAC brings an elite level of air pollution control, controls automation and processing expertise to this partnership. Ultimately, Agra aims to align our business with innovative partners who are continuously looking for ways to push the status-quo of processing solutions. This partnership was developed to offer protection and stability to a rapidly growing market, leading to the ROI our farmers deserve.”
Please reach out to us if you would like to meet with our team and discuss your processing needs in the hemp industry.
