Hit the throttle, dusty rooster tail behind, a farm truck full of wheat heads for the elevator. Early on a summer evening a farm truck loaded with grain heads for the local elevators at the crossroads at Highway 395 and Ragon Road, north of the town of Steptoe Butte in Whitman County.
The majority of wheat grown in Washington state is Soft White, used mostly for making yummy bakery products such as cakes, pastries and cookies. Soft White wheat is low in protein and gluten. Production of Hard Red Spring wheat is increasingly grown in Washington, it is a bread flour, high in protein and gluten. The flour I buy to make my homemade breads I purchase at my local health food store is called ‘Prairie Gold,’ produced on a family farm in Three Forks, Montana. It is GMO free.
Hard White wheat or Durum is the hardest wheat produced and is used for making pasta, it is grown mostly in the Dakotas and Montana. Hard White Winter wheat, is grown in Nebraska and is used for Asian noodles and breads. Washington ranks sixth of the top ten states producing wheat in the nation, North Dakota is number one.
Here are some interesting wheat facts from the magazine ‘Wheat Life,’ the official publication of the Washington Association of Wheat Growers:
- One bushel (60#) of wheat contains approximately one million individual kernels.
- A modern combine can harvest 1,000 bushels (60,000#) per hour.
- More foods are made with wheat the world over than with any other cereal grain.
- A family of four could live 10 years off the bread produced by one acre of wheat.
- One 60-pound bushel of wheat provides about 42 pounds of white flour, 60 to 73 loaves of bread (depending on the size of the loaf and whether the bread is whole wheat), or 42 pounds of pasta.
- Eating two slices of bread for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it would take 168 days to eat the amount of bread produced from one bushel of wheat.
So eat wheat! I do, and love every bite, every time!
Sharing with ‘Rural Thursday #31.‘
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i just love the shots of your hills and fields!!!
Wow I absolutely love this the photo and your information. What an incredible thing to see Madge. I am a farmer and have never seen that. Very very cool B
Fantastic shot Madge!
And while man can not live on bread alone, there is nothing I like better for lunch than a hunk of fresh bread, a touch of margarine (butter would be better but we must make one concession!), and a hunk of cheese – lovely.
I love the dust in his tracks!
This is a gorgeous composition! I love the lines, colors, and textures. Great shot!
And the wheat info is very interesting.
Great shot!
Great photo! Love the colours and the textures.
Great looking shot Madge.
Wow. I like everything about this.
Love the abstract beauty of this, Madge. Great photo and interesting facts about wheat! xx
What a neat picture, love all the textures and the vast feeling it conveys! And, long live wheat and the hard-working farmers who grow it!! :)
You picked a perfect vantage point; love the composition on this photo.
Again, you amaze me with your knowledge.
I agree with DebC – you are a queen of finding the perfect vantage point for some pretty amazing and engrossing pictures. So many angles and interest points in this shot – just wonderful.
This is a wonderful photo….all the patterns, colors, and that one truck blend perfectly. Great post! If it weren’t so hot, I’d seriously consider baking a few loaves.
I love the dust he’s kicking up. Great information
Gorgeous! Love all the lines in the sand. It’s very interesting visually. :)
AMAZING! Brilliant shot, Madge.
It almost looks like moon shot or something Madge, you had a great elevated spot to take this shot.
Having grown up in WA ST, this is such a pleasure! I still visit a few times a year and my heart belongs right there! Thanks for a beautiful blog!
The colors and textures are wonderful! The moving truck lets you know the true scale of this image.
Wow- what a view! Fantastic photo Madge!
Madge, fabulous photo and love the information; well done!
Great shot and interesting info! I buy that Prairie Gold flour, too!
So jealous of that beautiful black dirt. And such an interesting post — love learning new things about crops besides corn and soybeans! :)
It is certainly an excellent composition, stunning colors and shapes.
Love the patterns in the shot and the movement of the truck adds a nice detail, Madge.