Harvest's Over!

Swathing, Barley, Combining and Unloading

The last afternoon of harvest

Auguring barley onto the grain truck

Off to fill another hopper

The last few rounds and we're done for 2010!
The crop's in the bin...
Now to fulfill our contracts to the grain company and wait for the call, hire the B Train truck to haul the wheat and barley 130 kilometers (or 80 miles) to the elevator and then the farmer gets his paycheque.  Often when he deducts the costs of inputs such as seed, fertilizer, fuel, machinery repairs and trucking costs it makes him think that it's sure good he loves the lifestyle and carrying on the tradition of farming the land his grandfather and father cleared.

You've likely heard this before... 
 

"HOW MANY LOAVES IN A BUSHEL OF WHEAT?

There are about 150 cups (8oz.) of grain in a 60 pound bushel of wheat (1 bushel = 0.352 hectolitres in volume, 1 hectolitre = 3381.4 US fluid oz.).

When converted to flour these 150 cups of kernels produce about 300 cups of flour.

About 3 cups of flour are required to produce a single 1.5 pound loaf of bread.

Therefore 1 bushel of flour produces about 100 loaves of bread each weighing 1.5 pounds (24 oz.)

Or, in other words, a bushel of grain berries (kernels) produces about 150 pounds of bread."

If you're interested in making a loaf of no knead bread, you might try this recipe. It's highly recommended. 
Smitten Kitchen 

Farmers really do feed the world.

These days the farmer is paid on average $7.00 (or about 7 cents a loaf) for a bushel of wheat and its been said that the grain is passed seven times before it reaches it's destination. The truckers, grain companies, railway, bakers and grocers all make some profit on the loaf of bread you buy at the store. 
Thank goodness for the farmers!

The Farmer's wife has done her duties: 
helping move vehicles and equipment from one field to another, helping move augers from one grainery to another, staying in constant radio contact for safety, making meals taking lunch to the field, baking cookies, loaves, squares and pies for Thanksgiving, having supper on the stove and waiting for the farmer and our son to come home hungry and tired, and making sure the dishes are done by 10 at night. 
I'm packed and ready to head to the big city this weekend for some R&R with our daughter.  We need some "girl time"! But first I have to stop at the grain elevator to drop off some samples of grain.  It's always nice to see the big city lights and maybe we'll even do a little shopping..

I'll be linking this to Mary's Little Red House for Monday Mosaic.