Somerset engineer wins 2025 Young Engineer Award
IAgrE’s CEO Charlie Nicklin in partnership with Farmers Guardian is one of the judges of the Young Engineer’s Award and the Innovation awards which are presented each year at LAMMA.
Charlie commented:
“With the rapid pace of development and innovation in the agricultural sector, it’s really important that we celebrate the achievements of young people forging their careers in our industry. In addition to supporting young innovators by giving them market exposure, these awards also highlight to others what a great career engineering in agriculture can be. It gives me great pleasure for the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) to have proudly supported the Young Engineer of the Year award at LAMMA again in 2025”
Alexander Sluijmers of Somerset was crowned the winner of the 2025 LAMMA Young Engineer Award on Wednesday, which recognises the best young engineering talent in UK agriculture.
A development engineer working for Perry of Oakley in Devon, Sluijmers was recognised for his creation of Grain Sentry, an automated moisture control system for continuous flow grain driers that automates sampling and control, enabling remote operation via a PLC panel or app.
Alexander created the Grain Sentry to help address the high labour demands and human error associated with traditional grain drying. His goal was to develop an automated system that improved efficiency, accuracy, and cost savings for farmers managing large-scale grain handling.
The system is versatile, compatible with multiple crops and can be retrofitted for existing dryers. It significantly reduces labour needs and improves profitability, with savings ranging from £21,500 to £53,500 per season, depending on drier capacity.
Launched in 2024, it is already commercially viable and uses pneumatic conveying to collect samples and employs self-teaching algorithms to regulate dryer speed, maintaining optimal moisture levels.
"It's amazing to have won the Young Engineer Award," he said. "When I was first nominated, I wondered if grain handling technology would really stand out against all the big machinery here at LAMMA. But to come first is incredible.
“There has been a lot of interest and questions from visitors who have seen Grain Sentry on stand, which has given me new ideas of where to go next.”
The Young Engineer Award is designed to highlight innovations and contributions of young engineers working in the agricultural sector. It celebrates individuals or teams aged 16-35
who have developed a piece of agricultural machinery, equipment or technology that has significantly enhanced efficiency, profitability or sustainability in farming operations.
Agriconnect Head of Machinery Toby Whatley, one of the judges of the award, said, "Grain Sentry is a truly innovative solution that offers a fresh approach to enhancing productivity while accurately identifying grain quality. It leverages NIR - an established and reliable system - to provide real-time, actionable data that empowers farmers to make immediate changes that save money and improve crop or produce quality."