Each Energrow press/extruder has the capacity to process approximately 1 tonne of seed per day (24hrs).

Some output examples (per day)for one Energrow press:
Soybeans: 900kg Soyex (extruded soybean meal) and 100kg crude oil
Canola: 750kg Canex (extruded canola meal) and 250kg crude oil

Energrow systems are designed and built to run reliably on a continuous and unmanned basis and easily accommodate multiple presses. You can expand your capacity right from the start or add presses as your market or demand grows with ease and minimal cost. When trying to decide on your pressing capacity, allow for down-time factors such as standard repair and maintenance, set-up and expansion plans, running out of seed, getting a bad batch of seed, testing different seeds, custom pressing, etc.. If you're unsure of what number to use, we suggest allowing a conservative 15-30 days a year: 335-350 tonnes capacity per year per press.

Energrow Systems will process green canola to a practical point. The greener your seed, the darker the oil, the more difficult it is to remove, and less stable it is. Immature canola seed naturally contains a high level of chlorophyll, the green pigment that allows plants to photosynthesize, or turn the sun's energy into biomass. Fully and properly matured canola will have no chlorophyll, which is typically measured in Western Canada as % green seed. In high green seed samples, processing removes the chlorophyll with the oil component imparting a dark colour to the oil which is difficult and expensive to remove. In addition, high levels of chlorophyll are associated with increased oxidative rancidity.

As a Rule of Thumb, you can use the Canadian Grain Commission's (CGC) Official Grain Grading Guide:

Grade 1: recommended for food grade pressing applications
Grade 2: recommended for feed grade pressing applications
Grade 3: recommended for fuel grade pressing applications

How to grade or know how green your canola is:
The Canadian Grain Commission's (CGC) Official Grain Grading Guide accounts for distinctly green seed, but the measure is subjective. The Official Grain Grading Guide also has a reference to colour and as such has provisions for pale green and slightly immature seeds that are not distinctly green. The Guide notes that, "Whole seeds that are green may be as a result of thin seed coats of certain canola varieties. Whole green seeds of these varieties are not indicators of elevated chlorophyll levels and therefore are not considered distinctly green or assessed as part of colour evaluation. Only seeds which are distinctly green throughout when crushed are assessed as distinctly green 2. However, the grader determines % green subjectively and has leeway within the regulations. The correlation between per cent green seed, as it related to grades, and chlorophyll measured in parts per million (PPM) is not very tight

At some point in seed formation, all canola will contain a high amount of chlorophyll. If maturity progresses normally, the chlorophyll will clear out through natural metabolic activity. Enzymes, proteins that facilitate biological processes, are responsible for the removal of chlorophyll and, in canola, they are only active at temperatures above 5ºC and at seed moisture contents above 20 per cent.

Several different environmental factors in combination with agronomic practices can affect the ability of seed to rid itself of chlorophyll:

Frost

• can denature or destroy these enzymes and render the plant unable to rid itself of chlorophyll regardless of the temperature and moisture conditions following a frost;
• will affect green seed and, if the temperature is low enough to destroy the enzymes responsible for clearing the green seed, no amount of time, heat or moisture will help, nor will the green seed cure out once the crop has been harvested and binned. If canola is not mature enough to swath, unfortunately, producers do not have many options to reduce the effects of an early fall frost. Seed must be below 20 per cent moisture to avoid the effects of frost. This is because much of the damage from frost comes from the freezing of water and the formation of ice crystals. If the moisture content is low enough, this will not happen to any great degree
• The amount of frost a crop can withstand depends on several factors including acclimatization, dew and ultimately crop stage.

Extreme heat immediately post swathing

• can dramatically reduce the moisture content of the seed in a very short amount of time, leaving the seed with not enough moisture to support enzymatic activity;

• can and will affect green seed count, but are not of concern in the later growing season;

Swathing early to avoid frost damage

• is often not an effective management strategy to mitigate the risk of frost and can result in severe yield loss due to shriveling of immature seeds.
• swathed canola, if above 20 per cent moisture, is susceptible to frost damage just like standing canola.
• only effective if the canola is swathed at least 72 hours before a frost so that the moisture content can fall below 20 per cent. A noticeable symptom of a damaging frost on canola near maturity is that the pods "sweat" and release plant juices. This happens because ice crystals have destroyed the integrity of the cell walls. Other symptoms of a damaging frost will be white specking of the pods, shrivelled seeds that resemble raisins, and wilting of the plants. However, most of these symptoms may not be visible for two to four days following the frost.

 Acclimatization

• is a plant hardening off by several days of cold weather before a frost. Plants that have gone through this react better to frost than plants that have not.
• canola seedlings react better to hardening off before early spring frosts than do plants nearing maturity.

Dew

• heavy dew on the plant will act as an insulator and decrease the effects of freezing temperatures.There are no hard and fast rules as to how much frost canola can take at this or any stage.

It is difficult to predict with any great certainty how a particular canola crop will fare at a particular temperature, it is a wait and see situation. Green seed is a major discounting factor for canola and historically the price drops by $10 to $15 per tonne, per grade.  By pressing your green or heated canola on-farm you can add your own value to your feed or local economy.  Consider crushing your own crops to be less dependent on market grading and pricing systems. 

The amount of oil extracted will depend greatly on the type of seed used as well as its chemical and physical properties such as how clean it is, moisture content, seed variety and quality. You can expect to extract approximately half of the oil from "standard seeds off the field"*. Should you require or want more extraction, then there are further steps and processing that can be done to do so.

Our definition of: standard seeds off the field": Seeds that you take off your land and are of suitable quality and moisture to be stored in a bin.  They are generally clean and are not dried down to a very low moisture. We use this definition because this is the way that most farmers will be using their seeds to press on-farm.  You will likely not be pre-condition, de-hull, pre-expel, or dry down or clean your seeds as is required in mid to large industry crushing systems.  Energrow believes in working with honest and realistic numbers, not the most optimistic ones which assumes all conditions are perfect or ideal.  The business of farming is all about change and the unexpected, therefore we give you numbers that you can work with and build a solid business model on (to minimize the unexpected).

Some oil extraction examples:
Soybeans: 900kg Soyex (extruded soybean meal) and 100kg crude oil
Canola: 750kg Canex (extruded canola meal) and 250kg crude oil

You may acheive these extractions or better with your seed.  If you want to know what your seed can do for you, contact us!

The Energrow press life expectancy depends greatly on how the press is used and maintained. Improper use (dirty, uncleaned seed for example or improper press settings) can significantly reduce the lifespan of the machine. Under normal conditions, one can expect to spend a minor amount of time cleaning to maintain the unit. For the standard 75 head dairy operation, wear components are expected to last a minimum of 2-3 years, while the main components should last a minimum of 10-15 years.

The following is the typical processing cost you can expect with standard on-farm processing: $18.75/day (24 hours of processing). This value accounts for hydro, parts wear and replacement, and your time for maintenance).  If you use this number for your budgets you will meet your processing expectations or exceed them. We are happy to work with you to make your pressing experience as trouble free and economical as possible, ask us how!

Energrow systems are the most automated, user-friendly, and reliable oilseed pressing system available on the market. They are designed and built in Canada and proudly supported by your local dealer.

You can simply buy an Energrow System or buy everything extra you need from start to finish (like augers, bins, seed cleaner, etc.) from your local dealer. Your dealer is there to support you through your purchase, installation, and production support.

We're here for your freedom.  Contact your local dealer for a quote that's customized for your farm or contact Energrow for additional information to get you going.

The Energrow System, although applicable for a wide range of seeds and applications, may not work for everyone. Its environment, capacity, and intended use play key roles in deciding if it is to offer sufficient savings to its user.

To see if an Energrow pressing system is suitable for your needs, please contact Energrow or your local Energrow dealer and we would be happy to see what kind of savings or value an Energrow System can offer you and if it can help you meet your specific goals or needs.

There are a number of ways you can see an Energrow System in action:

1. View the online video on the home page that showcases Energrow systems on a variety of farms
2. Find Energrow at a tradeshow or upcoming event near you (Energrow has a running system at most shows it attends) Our systems are reliable and are easy to run, we don't just tell you how it should run, we show you right at the event!
3. Find and contact your local Energrow dealer.  Some dealers have systems at their shop or can arrange a tour of an on-farm system.

Each Energrow press runs using a standard single phase 220V welder plug. (3 phase is an option) Driven by a variable speed motor, each press is very energy efficient and steadily runs, requiring only $5 CAD (Ontario hydro rates) of electricity per day (24 hours) of processing.