GRAIN CROPS

Student Learning Objectives Student Learning Objectives. Instruction in this lesson should result in students achieving the following objectives: 1 Define grains. 2 Discuss corn and give examples of products made from corn. 3 Recognize that there are different types of wheat and the products that can be made from them. 4 Discuss barley and the ways it is used. 5 Discuss oats and understand how they are used.

OBJECTIVE 1: Define grains. I OBJECTIVE 1: Define grains. I. Grains are very important to humans and animals for a variety of reasons. Grains may be used for both food and non-food products.

A. Grains are the seeds of certain plants that are members of the grass family. B. There are many kinds of grains. The four types of grains this lesson will cover are: Corn Wheat Barley Oats

II. There are three main types of corn: OBJECTIVE 2: Discuss corn and give examples of products made from corn. II. There are three main types of corn: sweet corn popcorn field corn Sweet corn and popcorn are eaten by humans. About 90 percent of the corn you see growing is field corn that can be used a number of different ways.

A. The average ear of field corn is 12 to 14 inches long and has 800 kernels in 16 rows. B. A bushel of field corn weighs 56 pounds and contains more than 72,000 kernels. C. Corn can be processed into starch, syrup, dextrose (a sugar), oil, and gluten. Except gluten, all forms of processed corn can be used for both industrial and food, drug, and cosmetic purposes.

OBJECTIVE 2 continued D. Industrial by-products from corn: glue, chemicals, paper products, fireworks, paint, ink, soap, diapers, biodegradable plastics, and ethanol. 1. Biodegradable means that a product decomposes by the activity of microorganisms.

2. Ethanol is alcohol made by fermenting corn. It can be used as fuel by itself, or it can be blended with gasoline. Ethanol burns cleaner than ordinary gasoline and increases the power the engine puts out. Ethanol is a renewable resource that can be replenished each year.

E. Some food, drug, and cosmetic by- products from corn are: baby food, soda, salad dressing, marshmallows, aspirin, mayonnaise, snack chips, and make-up.

OBJECTIVE 3: Recognize that there are different types of wheat and the products that can be made from them. There are six main types of wheat. Each type grows best in certain areas of the United States Each is best for different food products.

A. Hard red winter wheat— 1. Grown in the Great Plains states 2 A. Hard red winter wheat— 1. Grown in the Great Plains states 2. Best for bread, rolls, and all- purpose flour 3. The main U.S. wheat export

B. Hard red spring wheat— 1 B. Hard red spring wheat— 1. Grown in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota 2. Best used in bagels, yeast breads, and rolls 3. Has the highest protein of all wheat varieties

C. Soft red winter wheat— 1. Grown east of the Mississippi River 2 C. Soft red winter wheat— 1. Grown east of the Mississippi River 2. Best used in cakes, pastries, and flat breads

D. Durum wheat— 1. Between 70 and 80 percent of the durum wheat in the United States is grown in North Dakota 2. Mainly used in pasta and seminola flour 3. Hardest of all U.S. wheat

E. Hard white wheat 1. Best used in tortillas, oriental noodles, hard rolls, and yeast bread 2. Milder and sweeter than red wheats

OBJECTIVE 3 continued F. Soft white wheat 1. Grown in the Pacific Northwest, California, Michigan, Wisconsin, and New York 2. Best used in cakes, cookies, crackers, quick breads, muffins, snack foods, and pastries

OBJECTIVE 4: Discuss barley and the ways it is used. IV. Barley is a very important grain crop in the United States. Barley is usually planted in the spring and harvested in the fall.

A. There are two varieties of barley; both can be used in human foods A. There are two varieties of barley; both can be used in human foods. 1. Covered barley is a variety of barley with a hull (outer covering of the kernel) so tight to the kernel that it must be sanded off. 2. Hulless barley is a variety of barley with a hull so loose on the kernel that it practically falls off during harvest.

B. The top 10 barley- producing states are North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Minnesota, Washington, South Dakota, California, Oregon, Colorado, and Wyoming.

C. In the United States, 55 percent of the barley is used for animal feed, 40 percent is used for malt production, 3 percent is used for seed, and 2 percent is used for human food.

D. For human consumption, barley can be used in soups, pilafs, stew, desserts, cold cereals, pancakes, muffins, and breads.

OBJECTIVE 5: Discuss oats and understand how they are used. V OBJECTIVE 5: Discuss oats and understand how they are used. V. Oats are the third leading cereal crop in the United States, only after corn and wheat.

A. Oats are grown in Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. B. About 95 percent of all oats are fed to animals, especially horses. C. The remaining 5 percent of oats is used in foods for human consumption. Food products made from oats include oat bran, oat flour, oatmeal, cookies, cakes, breads, muffins, and granola.