Men’s Probus visits Parilla Premium Potatoes
Members of a Murray Bridge club have paid a visit to several Mallee towns and a major local producer.
This story was contributed by Bob England.
The Parilla potato plant has been visited recently by members of the Murray Bridge Men’s Probus Club.
Many members who had backgrounds in farming became really engaged in the complexity of the enterprise.
A brief stop at Lameroo gave the travelers an opportunity to observe the eye-catching murals which now adorn both silo complexes in the town.
Potatoes ready for harvesting, with vegetation now dry, had grown in a large area watered by a remotely controlled centre-pivot irrigation system.
Giant machines digging several rows at a time quickly filled a five-tonne bin.
Arriving at the Parilla plant by the semi-trailer load, the freshly dug potatoes begin an automated process: washing, drying, then inspection for quality and size by a series of connected machines.
The washed and relatively uniform potatoes were placed in marketing bags before assembled into pallets.
Members entering the massive cool rooms noticed pallets destined for many centres across Australia.
Within the clinical operation centre, demonstrations were provided on the extent to which field activity could be managed from the headquarters.
The diversity of the work force was most apparent.
With a total workforce of about 450 across all sites, maintaining workers was mentioned as a challenge.
However, many leaders of the enterprise had moved into adjacent towns with their families.
The impact of these families on all town services, particularly their schools, had been most significant.
The bus trip concluded with an enjoyable lunch at the Lameroo Hotel.
