Know what's in the bin — without climbing it.
Checking a feed bin or grain silo usually means a ladder, a guess, or a run-out you find out about when the auger goes empty. Meterra puts a non-contact ultrasonic sensor on top of the bin and reports the level, estimated volume, and a low-level alert to your phone — the same sensor that reads water, fuel, and fertilizer, pointed at grain and feed. No climbing, no power, no Wi-Fi.
Climbing the bin is the old way to guess
A feed bin or grain silo only tells you what’s inside if you climb it, tap it, or wait for the auger to cough — and each of those is some mix of slow, inaccurate, and dangerous. The cost shows up as an empty bin nobody saw coming, a rushed delivery at a premium, or a climb up a ladder in bad weather to eyeball a number.
A sensor on top of the bin makes that number something you read from your phone. It reports the level continuously, estimates the volume, and alerts you before the bin runs low — so reorders get scheduled and run-outs stop happening.
What Meterra watches
- Grain bins — corn, wheat, barley, and other stored grain.
- Feed bins and silos — bulk feed, pellets, and rations for livestock and dairy.
- Fertilizer and seed bins — dry inputs staged for the season.
- Mineral and supplement bins — the smaller bins that still hurt to run dry.
Every bin reports to one dashboard with level, estimated volume, trend, low-level alerts, and CSV export — across one site or many.
The swiss-army-knife sensor
This is the non-contact ultrasonic sensor doing what it does best. Because it measures the distance to whatever surface is below it, it reads almost any material — dry, granular solids like grain and feed, and liquids like water, diesel, and fertilizer, all with the same unit. Nothing touches the material, nothing sits in the bin to clog, and one sensor covers nearly everything you store. (A pressure sensor, by contrast, only works in a liquid — here’s why.)
Built for the yard
No power, no Wi-Fi, no hub. The sensor mounts on the bin in minutes, runs for years on battery or solar, and reports over Verizon’s NB-IoT low-power cellular network, with LEO satellite where there’s no cell coverage — confirmed for your site before install.
A note on readings
Bin levels and volumes are estimates for planning and reordering, tuned to your bin’s shape and material — accurate enough to schedule deliveries and catch a run-out, which is the job. During a fill, airborne dust can briefly disturb a reading; the level settles and reports reliably between fills.
Getting started
Start with the bin that’s hurt you before — the one you’ve run dry, or the climb you’d rather not make. Tell us the bin, the material, and the coverage there, and we’ll set the sensor and the low-level alert. Every sensor is backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee and a one-year warranty.
The hardware for this job
Every device reports to the same Meterra dashboard and app.
Tell us your site and we'll map the right sensors and coverage.
Frequently asked questions
What can the sensor measure besides grain and feed?
Almost anything stored in a bin. Because the ultrasonic sensor simply reads the distance to the surface, the same unit measures grain, feed, fertilizer, seed, minerals and supplements, and other dry, granular materials — and the same sensor also reads liquids like water, diesel, and liquid fertilizer. It's the versatile, non-contact option, so one product covers nearly anything you store.
Do I have to climb the bin to install it or read it?
You mount it once on top of the bin — a quick job — and after that you never climb to check a level again; it's all on your phone. The reading, the trend, and a low-level alert come to the app, so reorders and run-outs stop being a ladder-and-guess exercise.
Does dust affect the reading?
During filling or augering, airborne dust can disturb a reading for a moment, which is normal for any non-contact sensor. The sensor reports on a schedule and the level is reliable between fills, and we tune the setup to the bin and material so the numbers you act on are solid. Tell us the bin and what's in it and we'll set it up right.
Will it work out at the bin with no power or Wi-Fi?
Yes. The sensor is battery or solar powered and reports over Verizon's NB-IoT low-power cellular network, with LEO satellite where there's no cell coverage. No mains power, no Wi-Fi, no hub at the bin — coverage confirmed for your site first.
Can I get a low-level alert to reorder feed?
Yes. Set the level where you want to reorder and the sensor alerts you by app and supported channels before the bin runs out, so you schedule deliveries instead of scrambling. Every bin reports to one dashboard with history and CSV export, so you can also track usage over time.
How much does it cost?
For most bins it's the same ultrasonic Tank Level Sensor — $299 in our US rollout, including three months of connectivity and full app access; connectivity is then from $10/month per device, with discounts on annual subscriptions. Tall silos (up to about 46 ft) use a longer-range ultrasonic sensor, which costs more because the long-range sensing element itself is more expensive — tell us your bins and we'll quote the right one. Every sensor is backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee and a one-year warranty.
Related Meterra solutions
- Tank Level Sensor — the non-contact ultrasonic sensor — reads almost any material.
- Water Tank Monitoring — the same sensor on liquid storage and cisterns.
- Ultrasonic vs. Pressure Sensors — why ultrasonic reads any material and pressure reads only liquids.
- Farm Water Monitoring — the wider farm — tanks, bins, and ponds on one dashboard.
- Cattle Ranch Monitoring — feed bins and water across a ranch, on one screen.