When the team at Colorado, USA-based PowerZone Agriculture started to think about farmers and hemp, they put one idea first: ROI – return on investment. That started with the fundamental goal to engineer harvesting and processing technology that could be bolted onto machines and power sources farmers already have.
“Our equipment is designed to maximize yield per acre,” Corbett Hefner, V.P Research, Development and Engineering MG at PowerZone, said of the project team’s focus on financial return for the company’s clients. “No capital is tied up in dedicated harvesting machinery that sits idle for the majority of the year,” Hefner added. The entire harvesting platform can be removed in 30 minutes or less so the tractor can be used for other farm operations, Hefner noted.
Focus on flower yield
The system is designed for optimal flower yield for CBD oil and to collect hemp straw; it can crawl through the field at a rate of 12 acres per hour, and features cut options ranging between six inches and 15 feet off the ground.
PowerZone’s Fiber Track Genesis decorticating equipment can process up to 10 tons of hemp straw per hour, turning it into hurd for building materials.
The harvesting system, which is fully portable, is designed to harvest clone plants as well as large fields. Primary crop and fiber can be collected in a single pass, reducing hours in the field.
The Fiber Track Genesis decortication line is designed to produce long, strong fiber as well as hurd particles for insulation. The Grasshopper chaff cart is completely self contained, drawing no hydraulic power from the combine.
“Fiber Track Genesis and the Grasshopper chaff cart make large-scale fiber and hurd extraction financially viable,” said Hefner. “It lets the seed grower gain additional revenue per acre that normally gets wasted on the ground.”
Highlights
• Harvester speed: 12 acres/hour.
• Cutting height: From 6 inches off the ground up to 15 feet.
• Chaff cart: Fully compatible
• Decorticator: Capacity 10 tons/hour.
Development time:
• Harvester: 4 weeks.
• Chaff cart: : 7 weeks.
• Decortcator: 16 weeks.
Project team:
Don Toews: CEO, President, founder
Corbett Hefner: V.P Research and Development & Engineering MG
Carson Toews: GM, shareholder
Greg Sanchez: Plant foreman
Max Ng: Engineering
Gene Freeland: Electrical engineer
Contact:
Corbett Hefner
[email protected]
Tel: +1 719-580-4046
pzagriculture.com
