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September 9, 2010

Separating wheat from chaff at the Rollag threshing festival

Photos by Nathaniel Minor
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Every Labor Day weekend, thousands of people come to the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion in the tiny northwestern Minnesota town of Rollag. Dozens of antique steam engines are shown that were once used to thresh -- to separate grain from the stalk.

Loading wheat

1

Volunteers use pitchforks to load shocks of dried wheat stalks into a threshing machine. (MPR Photo/Nathaniel Minor) link to this photo

Steam engine

2

A volunteer running the steam engine watches dried wheat being loaded into a threshing machine. (MPR Photo/Nathaniel Minor) link to this photo

Threshing machine

3

A long belt connects the steam engine to the threshing machine. (MPR Photo/Nathaniel Minor) link to this photo

Straw pile

4

The threshing machine separates straw from seed by beating the dried wheat with mechanical gears. Straw is then blown out into a pile. (MPR Photo/Nathaniel Minor) link to this photo

Seed

5

The wheat seed is deposited into a holding bin, where it is then ready to be ground into flour. (MPR Photo/Nathaniel Minor) link to this photo

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