At 8.30am I met Sean at the Grain Terminal and rode in the truck back to the farm to watch it being filled with wheat from the field bins.
The road trains are plush inside with air conditioning, a padded area for sleeping and 18 gears! On the way I learned about the screening process where the grain is assessed at the start of the season to make sure it's the correct size etc and how during the harvesting process it can be 'cleaned' to remove the impurities and undersized grain to ensure the best price. I also learned that in order for the grain to be accepted at the silos its average moisture content must be below a certain level. This is important if there is rain during the harvesting process, which in the case of this family spans an 8 week period.
While at the farm this time I got a chance to drive the airconditioned tractor with the chaser bin, with instructions from Damian, and we drove alongside Wayne in the header to collect the grain. I think I could use a bit more practice at that one to ensure I do not run into the side of the header in the process!
After a few hours of harvesting activity, including detaching the front of the header and loading it onto a trailer for transport by road, we headed off in the truck to the silos in Port Lincoln donned with hard hat and visi vests where we weighed the truck in, waited for the moisture test then tipped the grain into big bins in the ground, and weighed the empty truck to determine how much grain had been delivered. A grain train was also unloading.
I really enjoyed seeing the whole process and will think differently about the next loaf of bread I buy.
