Milestone, Harriston Share Technology

Milestone Equipment Company of Blackfoot, ID, and Harriston Equipment of Minto, ND, have formed a joint venture agreement to share each others' patented sorting technology.

Each company has unique features on its sorting equipment that the other company wanted. Rather than try to develop similar features through expensive research and development, they agreed to just buy each others' unique sorting equipment features.

For Milestone it was buying the Harriston roller clod/rock separator. This feature, now added to its sorter, will allow seed growers to eliminate debris from its one-drop seed.

For Harriston, it will mean utilizing Milestone's unique finger-roller sorter technology to put on its Clodhopper.

In the first demonstration of the Milestone sorter April 7, Jorgensen Farms' partner/owner/seed manager Keith (KC) Jorgensen was amazed at how well the new feature worked.

He said it was just the technology he has been looking for to help him separate rocks/clods out of seed potatoes he sells to commercial growers. Rocks hidden in loads of seed can break picks off planters and ruin knives on seed cutters.

In addition, he will be able to use the sorter going into storage to help eliminate rocks/clods from his stored seed potatoes. With an 84-inch-wide belt taking potatoes from an even-flo bin through the sorter, the machine can handle a lot of potatoes.

Jorgensen said he was able to cut his sorting crew in half and the three-in-one machine will save him moving time and expense going from farm to farm. Jorgensen said the machine was "heaven sent."