Download Seeds to Cereal - Utah Agriculture in the Classroom

FROM FARM TO TABLE:
SEEDS OF SUCCESSFUL
MARKETING
Rice
Soybeans
Corn
Wheat
RICE
• Staple food for over half the people in the world
• A native of Asia
• Arrived on the shores of North America in 1694
• Thrives in tropical areas because of the warm, wet climate
• Fields are flooded to provide plants with moisture & to kill
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weeds & pests
Needs an average temp of 70 degrees
Inexpensive & can be made into lots of items
Grown in more than 100 countries
China & India are the top-producing countries
Rice starch is the basis for face powders & used in
baskets, mats, sandals, etc.
SOYBEANS
• Dicots (meaning a flowering plant with two seed leaves)
• The seeds are round & usually light yellow
• The plant can grow to be 2-5 feet high
• Originated in China & brought to the US in the 1800s
• US produces about 60% of the world’s soybeans
• Contains about 20% oil & 40% protein
• Two basic products are protein meal & oil
• Most of the oil is consumes as margarine, shortening,
mayo, salad oils
Corn
• A grain that is tens of thousands of years old
• Native of Mexico as maize
• Prefers about 20 inches of rain a year
• Can be grown in three months & is second in world grain
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production
One of our nation’s top agricultural products
US produces about 36% of the world’s supply
Can be found in more than 4,000 food & non-food products
Leading source of sweetener
Used to make industrial products like paint, paper, ceramics, &
batteries
About 50% of the corn crop is fed to livestock
WHEAT
• Cultivated & used for food for thousands of years
• Originated in Egypt
• Most popular grain for making bread
• Today the US is the largest producer of wheat
• While growing, wheat needs lots of sunshine & 12-15
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inches of water
Planted in the fall & in the spring
Remains dormant in the winter (sleeps)
World’s most widely-grown grain because over 1/7 of all
farmland is used for planting wheat
King of Grains