274
are used in large quantities to ensure yield and quality; residues of these chemicals
can make their way into the grain supply. Seed is used in small quantities; today’s
seed is often genetically modified in the USA to enhance drought and pest resistance and improve yield. Most bulk grain is rain-fed, as in the Corn Belt of the
central USA, but some bulk grain is irrigated. Expensive heavy equipment is used
on farms, including tractors, cultivators, combines, and trucks that are capable of
rapidly covering thousands of acres of land; this heavy equipment is often leased or
shared among farms so its capacity can be more fully utilized.
Bulk grain is produced in such large masses and volumes that it is transported by
rail, barge, and ship more often than by truck, after trucks bring the grain from the
farm to railheads. Bulk grain is stored in silos that keep the grain dry, free from
pests, and well ventilated; these silos are normally located at collection hubs along
railways where local farmers transfer their grain to wholesalers. Bulk grain can be
stored for years if it is kept dry and kept safe from pests. Rain-fed grain supply is
regional, seasonal and unpredictable, with grain harvests occurring once or perhaps
twice per year. Irrigated grain operations are much more reliable and are very different because they occur mostly in dry, hot regions with several growing seasons
per year resulting in much higher yields. Supply is concentrated in a number of
major exporting regions around the world that produce massive surpluses of bulk
grain. If a major producing region is compromised by drought or other weather
problems, yields can drop by half or more in that region for the year. Industrial
farming techniques have reduced crop failures and improved yields in bad years,
reducing this problem.
Although grain production is concentrated in a handful of major exporting
regions and is regionally unreliable, demand for grain exists wherever people live
and is nonstop, because the grain feeds biofuel and livestock operations (and human
flour production) that have relatively constant demands. The modern global market
for bulk grain has ensured that supplies are usually reliable on the international
market, because all exporting regions are not hit simultaneously by problems such
as drought. However, people who do not participate in global markets can suffer
severe shortages and famines during local failure of their grain harvest.
Most food in modern countries comes from factories, not farms. Non-meat packaged foods have more in common with factory-manufactured products than traditional foodstuffs. A wide range of produce, packaged meat, grains, and food-grade
chemicals are inputs to these factory processes, along with a lot of electricity and
water, and natural gas for cooking. Food science is a branch of chemistry that optimizes products for flavor, shelf life, nutritional content, and cost, and that manages
food quality and safety processes. Packaging technology is an essential part of food
processing, because it allows processed foods to be shipped and stored for periods
of months to years without refrigeration. Packaged food is a secondary food
source—much like electricity is a secondary energy source.
Packaged food is shipped by ordinary truck on public roadways, from food processing facilities to logistical warehouses, and then by truck to groceries and restaurants. Unlike meat and dairy products, most packaged foods are shelf-stable and
require no refrigeration. Packaged food can be easily shipped internationally and
B. L. Ruddell et al.
are used in large quantities to ensure yield and quality; residues of these chemicals
can make their way into the grain supply. Seed is used in small quantities; today’s
seed is often genetically modified in the USA to enhance drought and pest resistance and improve yield. Most bulk grain is rain-fed, as in the Corn Belt of the
central USA, but some bulk grain is irrigated. Expensive heavy equipment is used
on farms, including tractors, cultivators, combines, and trucks that are capable of
rapidly covering thousands of acres of land; this heavy equipment is often leased or
shared among farms so its capacity can be more fully utilized.
Bulk grain is produced in such large masses and volumes that it is transported by
rail, barge, and ship more often than by truck, after trucks bring the grain from the
farm to railheads. Bulk grain is stored in silos that keep the grain dry, free from
pests, and well ventilated; these silos are normally located at collection hubs along
railways where local farmers transfer their grain to wholesalers. Bulk grain can be
stored for years if it is kept dry and kept safe from pests. Rain-fed grain supply is
regional, seasonal and unpredictable, with grain harvests occurring once or perhaps
twice per year. Irrigated grain operations are much more reliable and are very different because they occur mostly in dry, hot regions with several growing seasons
per year resulting in much higher yields. Supply is concentrated in a number of
major exporting regions around the world that produce massive surpluses of bulk
grain. If a major producing region is compromised by drought or other weather
problems, yields can drop by half or more in that region for the year. Industrial
farming techniques have reduced crop failures and improved yields in bad years,
reducing this problem.
Although grain production is concentrated in a handful of major exporting
regions and is regionally unreliable, demand for grain exists wherever people live
and is nonstop, because the grain feeds biofuel and livestock operations (and human
flour production) that have relatively constant demands. The modern global market
for bulk grain has ensured that supplies are usually reliable on the international
market, because all exporting regions are not hit simultaneously by problems such
as drought. However, people who do not participate in global markets can suffer
severe shortages and famines during local failure of their grain harvest.
Most food in modern countries comes from factories, not farms. Non-meat packaged foods have more in common with factory-manufactured products than traditional foodstuffs. A wide range of produce, packaged meat, grains, and food-grade
chemicals are inputs to these factory processes, along with a lot of electricity and
water, and natural gas for cooking. Food science is a branch of chemistry that optimizes products for flavor, shelf life, nutritional content, and cost, and that manages
food quality and safety processes. Packaging technology is an essential part of food
processing, because it allows processed foods to be shipped and stored for periods
of months to years without refrigeration. Packaged food is a secondary food
source—much like electricity is a secondary energy source.
Packaged food is shipped by ordinary truck on public roadways, from food processing facilities to logistical warehouses, and then by truck to groceries and restaurants. Unlike meat and dairy products, most packaged foods are shelf-stable and
require no refrigeration. Packaged food can be easily shipped internationally and
B. L. Ruddell et al.