______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Wilbur-Ellis
blend liquid fertilizer are a testament to how forward-looking we are as a company,” Heather expands.
Embracing automation
The automation of liquid fertilizer blending has been one of the most meaningful operational transformations in recent years for Wilbur-Ellis. Just 20 years ago, blending at a typical North American agricultural facility was an almost entirely manual process in which drivers and operators measured and combined nitrogen and other specific products, working with pumps and levers and relying heavily on individual skill and judgment. Naturally, some people were better at it than others, risking inconsistent results. In Wilbur-Ellis’ current facilities, automation handles all that work, opening and closing valves with precision, delivering exactly the right quantity of each nutrient, whether that is a core input like nitrogen or a trace element like boron that requires only a tiny amount. This has resulted in greater accuracy and precision in the blending process, as well as greater flexibility given that a single facility can now serve a variety of crops. For instance, a location can produce wheat mixes one day and then switch to a completely different apple-specific formulation the next, using some of the same base inputs but tailored precisely to the crop’ s requirements.
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