The big truck loaded with rice entered the factory. After weighing the rice on a truck scale, the rice would be poured into the wet rice barrel. After the truck has been parked properly and the tail lift was opened, a large quantity of wet rice rushes rushing out, stirring up a lot of dust. It was like a mini storm. We used our hands to fend off the dust and left quickly. After most of the wet rice has gone into the barrel, it was necessary to use an air blow gun to suck the remaining wet rice into the unloading tank.

The process of rice storing along takes mulitpe tedious procedures. Rice drying comes with many steps and there are so many trucks coming in and out. The workload must be heavy. The visit today was a never before experience to me.

The fresh rice shipped to the factory needs to be stored in the wet rice barrel to obtain water content equilibrium. When a fully loaded truck arrives, it comes with refreshing rice fragrance. When the tail lift was opened, a lot of rice came pouring from the truck, with dust and smoke. It was a spectacular sight. We all wowed in amazement. A large amount of rice flew into the wet rice barrel. We tried to scope the rice into the barrel opening, like children playing sand in the park. It was a lot of fun.

Today we finally witnessed how trucks ship rice to the factory. It was the first time I saw so much rice. I cannot help from thinking how the rice we eat every day is the result of farmers’ hard work. A refreshing fragrance of rice came over us when the truck poured the rice. This immediately put my thought to paddy fields. I live in the countryside surrounded by endless farmlands, but I had never looked at rice carefully. After this experience, I wanted to learn more about rice in my day-to-day life. The newly harvested rice gave a rough sense of freshness. It was not exactly what I had imagined. I did not know how much hard work is required for a bowl of rice. We should learn to cherish many seemingly simple things in life.

Once the truck has arrived, the rice has to be dispensed into the wet rice barrel. It was a marvelous sight watching the truck pour rice into the barrel. We helped to push rice in through the floor gate. Originally a lot of rice was sitting on the gate but we worked together to it all in. It was a lot of fun. Then I saw the conveyer belt slowly suck rice inside the gated tunnel up into the wet rice barrel, until there was no more rice remaining. It was really interesting.

It was a windy and somewhat chilly Sunday morning, but the scene in front of Fenggu Company was vibrant as ever. Trucks loaded with freshly harvested rice came in, one by one. They rocked the weighbridge with thundering and intimidating sounds, even though I was in fact at a distance from those trucks. What is even more interesting was when the trucks poured fresh rice into the wet rice barrel. Wow! We were all screaming. Golden rice grains rushed down from the back of the truck and filled the air with floating dust and dirt. We could not help choking and coughing. Then we all laughed at our own response. I always smile when I recall what happened.

Before rice enters the rice drying mill, it needs to be weighed on a truck scale, so that payments can be handed to farmers. We were here today to observe and experience the process. I previously thought it was nothing more than weighing the rice and recording the value, but it turned out to be a lot more work involved. After the weight measurement, it is necessary to get some samples, gauge the water content, package the sample for pesticide testing.
After all these steps, rice is dispensed into the wet rice barrel for water content equilibrium. This sounds easier but getting all these things done is not straightforward. These procedures need to be dealt with continuously. After one fully loaded truck comes in, another truck is about to enter. We ran back and forth and my legs almost gave out.

Today we observed the process of rice acceptance after rice is shipped to the factory. It is dispensing rice into the wet rice barrel. The first step is to weigh the rice by kilogram before it is placed into the wet rice barrel. The factory supervisor first takes sample with a bucket. The sample is sent to the Council of Agriculture for testing of pesticide residue. We watched how fresh rice was dispensed into the wet rice barrel, but also ended up with rice hulls and dust all over our bodies. We also helped squeezing some rice stuck on the floor gate inside. It was fun, like playing in the sand when we were kids. I learned to stay away when the truck pours rice into the gate door. There is simply too much dust.

We were really lucky. When we arrived, a farmer drove in his truck loaded with wet rice. We got to see how rice is accepted. The truck was first parked at the entrance. The tail lift was opened and all the rice rushed out immediately. It got dusty and smoky. We all covered our noses and mouths, and waved our hands trying to keep the dust away. We then helped pushing the rice down the gate door. It was like playing sand when we were kids. It was fun! The sight of rice quickly sucked up from the gated channel to the wet rice barrel was spectacular and therapeutic!

It is harvesting time, and many farmers ship their wet rice to Fenggu Company for drying. It did not know until today that it is necessary to weigh rice before the drying process. Fenggu Company also gets the rice from each farmer tested for pesticides. They are really careful in every procedure. Rice needs to go to the wet rice barrel before drying. It is an awesome sight. We carefully brushed rice into the floor gate. Every golden rice grain is the result of hard work by farmers. Not a grain should be wasted.

When we did our interview with Fenggu Company today, a truck shipped some wet rice in. Before drying, it is necessary to weigh the wet rice and then put it into a wet rice barrel. The moment the truck poured all the wet rice in, dust and smoke arose. It was awful! Some wet rice from the truck did not go through the floor gate, so we helped to push this in. It was so much fun, like playing sand when I was little. It was my first time with rice acceptance but may also be the last time. It takes a long while to dry a pack of rice, so we need to cherish the rice we eat and do not waste a single grain.