How King Arthur Flour Sources Its Wheat | Eater
"A Hereford, Texas farm where lifelong farmer Andrew Gee harvests the last of the season's wheat amid a terrible, drought-driven year — plants are shorter, heads smaller and have fewer glumes. Gee uses a combine to cut the crop (balancing a low cut to collect grain with leaving enough residue to protect the soil and retain moisture). Inside the combine, wheat heads are conveyed under the carriage and broken down, then a series of grates and fans separate the grains from the beards and stems; the cleaned grain is held until it is moved into a hopper for transport to the mill to be ground into flour. Despite poor yields, Gee takes pride in supplying wheat that goes to a well-regarded flour brand and the many bakers who rely on it." - Avery Dalal