Better Farming - November 2016

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Better Farming November 2016 FarmNews First > 21
FIELDTRIP
Phil Edmund takes a break while waiting
for an empty curing bin to be delivered
to the harvester in the field. Edmund is
part of a two-man harvester crew, working
with a driver. Edmund’s job is to stand
on an upper level and direct cut leaves so
they evenly fill the bin as the harvester
drives along the rows.
Terry Leatham (left) and Carlos Run place separating pins into a
curing bin full of freshly picked tobacco brought back from the
harvester. These separating pins promote airflow and prevent
spoilage by keeping leaves separated when the bin is tilted
vertically for loading into the kiln.
Omar Sosa-Castillo (left) and his brother
Alejandro remove a bin of cured and dried
yellow leaves in preparation for sorting and
baling.
The curing bin of fresh tobacco is then slid up a short
ramp and into a kiln where it will rest for thirteen days.
Curing starts at 32 C and final drying temperatures
reach 66 C.
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