Jim Grose of Clive was the winner of this year’s Inventor’s Showcase award at Manitoba Ag Days in Brandon last month.
Grose found that while the larger B-train trucks were a big advantage on the farm, they were a pain to unload. So Grose headed for the farm shop a few years ago and came up with an auger that retracts to allow hopper-bottom trailers to drive into position.
Hydraulics lift the auger hopper off the ground so it can pull directly back, a departure from the swing augers currently on the market. The auger also moves freely side-to-side beneath the hopper.
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Then the shop burned down. The 2005 fire set Grose’s project back five years. The only good thing about it was both of his sons decided after the fire that they wanted to join the farm business – which was a major incentive for him to rebuild.
It took him four years to bring his idea to fruition, but Grose released his invention to the market just over a year ago.
The runner-up in this year’s competition was Pillar Lasers of Warman, Sask., which has invented a single-disc, double-shoot opener to improve the efficiency of single-pass seeding systems.
Inventor’s Showcase is sponsored by the Manitoba Co-operator and Manitoba Ag Days. The winner receives $1,000 cash, $1,000 advertising in the Manitoba Co-operator and a plaque. The runner-up receives $500 in cash, $750 in advertising and a plaque.
