Combines: Food or Feed Grade Grain

I live in S. NJ farm country and my neighbor grows wheat (among other crops) which he harvests with a combine. After he is done the vultures are always picking at a chewed up snake or rabbit that he cut up. So my question is how do they harvest food grade wheat and barley without getting contamination? Keep meaning to ask him when I see him but I always forget. I believe someone here is a grain farmer and maybe he can explain.

You would likely never eat a loaf of bread again if you knew how many parts per hundred were allowed to be rodent parts and bugs. YUCK!

Food grade cereal grains are cleaned with big machines at the production factories...they are not harvested "clean"

Yep,
Your food is not really all that clean. Even after it is processed there is still plenty parts left in the product. However not many rodents or snakes make it through the combine. The combine itself cleans out the larger particles and leaves them in the chafe. Most of the damage to pests are done by the wheels and where the head cuts the stems. The rodents don't usually even make it into the machine.

But no worries, it will all be sterilized when it is cooked any ways. A little varmint just adds protein.

Craig

I figure it can't be that bad if I haven't died yet.

Laurel said:

I figure it can't be that bad if I haven't died yet.

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There's always tomorrow, eh?

jgln said:

I live in S. NJ farm country and my neighbor grows wheat (among other crops) which he harvests with a combine. After he is done the vultures are always picking at a chewed up snake or rabbit that he cut up. So my question is how do they harvest food grade wheat and barley without getting contamination? Keep meaning to ask him when I see him but I always forget. I believe someone here is a grain farmer and maybe he can explain.

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Ah yes, the dirty little secret PETA won't tell you about.

Vegetarians are animal murderers too.

jgln said:

I live in S. NJ farm country and my neighbor grows wheat (among other crops) which he harvests with a combine. After he is done the vultures are always picking at a chewed up snake or rabbit that he cut up. So my question is how do they harvest food grade wheat and barley without getting contamination? Keep meaning to ask him when I see him but I always forget. I believe someone here is a grain farmer and maybe he can explain.

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I raise wheat and barley in Montana. Everything mention here is true. While we will pick up the occasional snake, bird, or rabbit, bugs (like grasshoppers) are far more common. The grain that is delivered to the mill is loaded with bugs parts. Now don't worry too much as the mill or malt plant does a good job of screening out the vast majority of those parts, but some do get through. Another secret...when we clean out a grain bin we walk all over the grain. Hope you all like the taste of my shoes.

fifelee said:

I raise wheat and barley in Montana. Everything mention here is true. While we will pick up the occasional snake, bird, or rabbit, bugs (like grasshoppers) are far more common. The grain that is delivered to the mill is loaded with bugs parts. Now don't worry too much as the mill or malt plant does a good job of screening out the vast majority of those parts, but some do get through. Another secret...when we clean out a grain bin we walk all over the grain. Hope you all like the taste of my shoes.

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Yup you're the guy I was talking about, thanks! We have about 5 LARGE grasshoppers per sq.ft in the fields in the summer (I grow hay but have someone else cut and bail it) but it seems most of the combine activity is in the fall when they have died off or in the spring before it gets too warm. Glad he doesn't harvest in mid summer. Spoke to him last week; he was about to plant wheat. He said it just has to sprout then overwinter to grow in the spring.

jgln said:

Yup you're the guy I was talking about, thanks! We have about 5 LARGE grasshoppers per sq.ft in the fields in the summer (I grow hay but have someone else cut and bail it) but it seems most of the combine activity is in the fall when they have died off or in the spring before it gets too warm. Glad he doesn't harvest in mid summer. Spoke to him last week; he was about to plant wheat. He said it just has to sprout then overwinter to grow in the spring.

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Yep, he is raising winter wheat. Planting in the fall allows the roots to get started and the plant to start growing early in the spring when the ground is too wet for equipment. Winter wheat is the majority of what we grow, but we have a different climate so we finished seeding a month ago. Your neighbor may not harvest during mid summer in NJ, but in the Midwest where the majority of the wheat is raised there are hoppers everywhere during harvest. More protein for everyone. :rockin:

I grew up on a dairy and cash crop farm... um, do you know what gets sucked up into the milk? POO!

The Pol said:

I grew up on a dairy and cash crop farm... um, do you know what gets sucked up into the milk? POO!

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I was raised on the dairy *****!
[youtube]VV6In1K8zKk[/youtube]

On a serious note, your dairy looking for a vet in oh, 18 months? I will need a job by then

I escaped the dairy a long time ago, I spend my time jet setting around the country in a monkey suit.

fifelee said:

I raise wheat and barley in Montana. Everything mention here is true. While we will pick up the occasional snake, bird, or rabbit, bugs (like grasshoppers) are far more common. The grain that is delivered to the mill is loaded with bugs parts. Now don't worry too much as the mill or malt plant does a good job of screening out the vast majority of those parts, but some do get through. Another secret...when we clean out a grain bin we walk all over the grain. Hope you all like the taste of my shoes.

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Hey do you pull out the rattlers on the grain elevator?

deathweed said:

I was raised on the dairy *****!

On a serious note, your dairy looking for a vet in oh, 18 months? I will need a job by then

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Hahaha, an old but a goody!

fifelee said:

Yep, he is raising winter wheat. Planting in the fall allows the roots to get started and the plant to start growing early in the spring when the ground is too wet for equipment. Winter wheat is the majority of what we grow, but we have a different climate so we finished seeding a month ago. Your neighbor may not harvest during mid summer in NJ, but in the Midwest where the majority of the wheat is raised there are hoppers everywhere during harvest. More protein for everyone. :rockin:

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He did say he was running late getting it planted so maybe next year it will be later. It's funny but some people are hesitant to try homemade stuff (myself included), probably because they question cleanliness and the proper processing, but there is no way a large processing plant examines each tomato as I do when I make sauce.

Hope you all like the taste of my shoes. [/QUOTE]

I just hope you wear snug underwear

I got to ride in the corn wagon behind the harvester when I was a kid as they filled it. Dusty, and fun, but man there were TONS of bugs (mostly grasshoppers) in that corn!