Grain cleaning has been more about endurance than innovation. Farmers have spent countless hours battling outdated machinery, adjusting screens and trying to outsmart an age-old problem. But what if one adjustment—just a simple shift in airspeed—could change everything? That’s exactly what Metra Grain Cleaners has reimagined with its Aerodynamic Grain Cleaner. It separates grains based on their weight and aerodynamic properties, effortlessly removing dust, chaff, immature kernels and fungal-compromised grains without the need for screens or manual recalibration.
“No More Downtime, Just Results”
Harvest season is a race against time. The last thing farmers need is to pause operations to swap out screens, clear out clogs or fine-tune settings for every different grain type. With Aerodynamic Grain Cleaner, those interruptions become a thing of the past.
This single, compact system seamlessly handles a diverse range of crops—from delicate sesame seeds to robust chickpeas—without requiring manual adjustments. Its on-site mobility eliminates the need for extra transportation, allowing farmers to process grain right where it’s harvested. And because scalability matters, Metra offers models that process anywhere from 80 to 8,000 bushels per hour, making sure both small farms and large-scale operations benefit from its efficiency.
“Our goal is to find the perfect balance between practical needs and financial sense. This isn’t just a machine. It is an investment designed to improve your yield and maximize your returns,” says Anna Smirnov, vice president.
Consider the story of Tony, a North Carolina-based corn grower and organic feed supplier for a major chicken processing company, who discovered his corn had Aflatoxin level soaring to 64 parts per million (ppm). With the standard tolerance range between 10 ppm, his contract with the meat processing company was at serious risk. Leveraging Metra’s advanced grain cleaning technology, he could reduce the antibody levels to 3-4 ppm in a single run. What seemed like a lost crop became profitable just by switching the grain cleaner.
Beyond Clean Grain: AI-Powered Precision
Efficiency alone isn’t enough; quality is just as important. A higher yield means little if imperfections reduce market value. That’s where Metra’s AI-powered color sorter steps in. Integrated into the system, this advanced technology analyzes each grain based on color and texture, ensuring that only the best make the cut. With grains free from discoloration or impurities, farmers can command higher prices and premium market positioning.
And it doesn’t stop there. Harvesting brings another challenge—inconsistent seed maturity. Some grains ripen fully, while others remain underdeveloped, impacting overall nutritional value and germination rates. Metra’s intelligent sorting ensures uniform seed selection, improving germination rates and leading to up to 40 percent higher yields. With a more reliable crop cycle, farmers aren’t just cleaning grain but cultivating long-term success.
Fighting Fungal Toxins: A Game-Changer for Food Safety
In 2016, Metra made a breakthrough discovery when its technology solved a major food safety crisis. Across farming regions like North Dakota and Montana, fungal toxins were devastating crops, slipping through traditional screen-based cleaning systems and threatening both yield and food quality.
Rather than relying on outdated methods, Metra took a bold approach of leveraging relative density to remove compromised grains. Because fungal-infected grains are often lighter than healthy ones, Aerodynamic Grain Cleaner uses precision airflow to separate the bad from the good—without damaging the harvest. As a result, farmers were not only able to safeguard their crops but maintain the integrity of their yield, assuring contaminated grains never reached consumers.
Invest in the Future of Agriculture
With advanced Italian electric motors, the Aerodynamic Grain Cleaner runs on surprisingly low energy—about the same as a household appliance. That means lower operating costs for farmers and a system that aligns with agriculture’s growing push for sustainability.
Metra is also actively investing in the next generation of agricultural leaders by donating its grain-cleaning system to the University of Nebraska Research Center. In this research-driven environment, students and scientists are getting hands-on experience with cutting-edge grain-processing technology, studying how precision air sorting can improve grain purity, reduce waste and enhance overall efficiency.
These endeavors prove Metra is an embodiment of innovation with purpose—a technology that doesn’t just refine existing processes but redefines the future possibilities of farming.
“No More Downtime, Just Results”
Harvest season is a race against time. The last thing farmers need is to pause operations to swap out screens, clear out clogs or fine-tune settings for every different grain type. With Aerodynamic Grain Cleaner, those interruptions become a thing of the past.
This single, compact system seamlessly handles a diverse range of crops—from delicate sesame seeds to robust chickpeas—without requiring manual adjustments. Its on-site mobility eliminates the need for extra transportation, allowing farmers to process grain right where it’s harvested. And because scalability matters, Metra offers models that process anywhere from 80 to 8,000 bushels per hour, making sure both small farms and large-scale operations benefit from its efficiency.
“Our goal is to find the perfect balance between practical needs and financial sense. This isn’t just a machine. It is an investment designed to improve your yield and maximize your returns,” says Anna Smirnov, vice president.
Consider the story of Tony, a North Carolina-based corn grower and organic feed supplier for a major chicken processing company, who discovered his corn had Aflatoxin level soaring to 64 parts per million (ppm). With the standard tolerance range between 10 ppm, his contract with the meat processing company was at serious risk. Leveraging Metra’s advanced grain cleaning technology, he could reduce the antibody levels to 3-4 ppm in a single run. What seemed like a lost crop became profitable just by switching the grain cleaner.
Beyond Clean Grain: AI-Powered Precision
Efficiency alone isn’t enough; quality is just as important. A higher yield means little if imperfections reduce market value. That’s where Metra’s AI-powered color sorter steps in. Integrated into the system, this advanced technology analyzes each grain based on color and texture, ensuring that only the best make the cut. With grains free from discoloration or impurities, farmers can command higher prices and premium market positioning.
Our goal is to find the perfect balance between practical needs and financial sense. This isn’t just a machine. It is an investment designed to improve your yield and maximize your returns
And it doesn’t stop there. Harvesting brings another challenge—inconsistent seed maturity. Some grains ripen fully, while others remain underdeveloped, impacting overall nutritional value and germination rates. Metra’s intelligent sorting ensures uniform seed selection, improving germination rates and leading to up to 40 percent higher yields. With a more reliable crop cycle, farmers aren’t just cleaning grain but cultivating long-term success.
Fighting Fungal Toxins: A Game-Changer for Food Safety
In 2016, Metra made a breakthrough discovery when its technology solved a major food safety crisis. Across farming regions like North Dakota and Montana, fungal toxins were devastating crops, slipping through traditional screen-based cleaning systems and threatening both yield and food quality.
Rather than relying on outdated methods, Metra took a bold approach of leveraging relative density to remove compromised grains. Because fungal-infected grains are often lighter than healthy ones, Aerodynamic Grain Cleaner uses precision airflow to separate the bad from the good—without damaging the harvest. As a result, farmers were not only able to safeguard their crops but maintain the integrity of their yield, assuring contaminated grains never reached consumers.
Invest in the Future of Agriculture
With advanced Italian electric motors, the Aerodynamic Grain Cleaner runs on surprisingly low energy—about the same as a household appliance. That means lower operating costs for farmers and a system that aligns with agriculture’s growing push for sustainability.
Metra is also actively investing in the next generation of agricultural leaders by donating its grain-cleaning system to the University of Nebraska Research Center. In this research-driven environment, students and scientists are getting hands-on experience with cutting-edge grain-processing technology, studying how precision air sorting can improve grain purity, reduce waste and enhance overall efficiency.
These endeavors prove Metra is an embodiment of innovation with purpose—a technology that doesn’t just refine existing processes but redefines the future possibilities of farming.
Thank you for Subscribing to Agri Business Review Weekly Brief
