Come explore the commodities in your everyday products. The following sites are sure ways to get growing and processing information, with tidbits on new food and nonfood uses for these commodities. And check www.auri.org for news about Minnesota agriculture.
Corn’s zillion uses
www.ontariocorn.org/products.html
The Ontario Corn Producers have a handy page if you’re looking for corn trivia. A “Zillion Uses For Corn!” is a list of the ways we use corn today, with product information and photos. The OCPA site also has plenty of other resources on corn, such as market prices, news releases, facts and figures and links.
All the soy in the world
Want to cook up some soy chili? Indiana’s Soybean Board has the goods on everything soybean, including a list of soy-based products and foods. Read about soy candles, crayons, biodiesel, ink or road dust suppressant; check out student contests on soybean inventions; or sign up for an e-mail newsletter. There’s also a “Beautiful Farms of Indiana” art contest page featuring colorful drawings using soy-based crayons.
Grains in Eden
www.edenfoods.com/info/foodinfo.html
If you’re looking for quick-loading info without the frills, this page is for you. The Eden Foods company has dedicated some basic pages to whole grains such as buckwheat, amaranth and barley. You’ll get a description of the crop, information on where it’s grown and what it’s used for, some nutritional information and a basic recipe.
Wheat by Caitlin
www.rochedaless.qld.edu.au/wheat.htm
Students from the Rochedale State School in Australia have added their projects on various subjects to the school’s site. One project, Wheat by Caitlin, is an overview of how the crop is grown, along with some production numbers. There is also a section on food products containing wheat and a map of where wheat is grown in Australia. Other projects featuring Australia-grown commodities include cotton, pigs and angora goats.
The beets go on
www.geo.msu.edu/geo333/sugarbeets.html
This site features an interview with a Michigan Sugar employee and explores the history of sugar and sugar beet production. Read about other uses for sugar beets, such as animal feed, view a close-up photo of a beet and a 1939 sugar-beet farm, and see a map of where U.S. beets are grown.