hau, Vince, welcome to permies and good on ya to take the initiative on using that
land.
Instead of turning your pile straight away, try poking a stick into the middle of it first, let it sit a few minutes then pull it out and have a look and smell.
That may tell you what is going on in there without having to turn it. What can happen is; turning it just as it is starting the heating process will stop it straight away, this is not good.
If the stick is warm, you have heating going on, if it smells sweetish then all is going well and there is no need to do a turn just yet.
If the stick is wet, vrs. damp, then you will need to do a turn so the moisture will even out and heating will proceed as desired. Leaving a heap that is wet inside will lead to anaerobic conditions (not what you want usually).
This time of year is perfect for planting winter crops such as kale, turnip, brassicas and so on. I would simply poke holes and plant seeds,
water and you are on your way.