SUMMARY Corn, soybean, and sunflower hybrids with improved agronomic and nutritional traits are grown widely today. Barring increased concern about genetically altered crops, production of specialty grains is likely to increase because novel traits possessed by many new hybrids are desired by both grain producers and grain users. Most specialty grains available today possess improved altered " ...

A systematic approach has been followed in the production and characterization of Pd foils to be used in excess heat production experiments [1][ 2] . Starting with a metal foil as supplied, palladium samples have been fabricated and characterized in a step by step process, and then subjected to electrolysis deuterium loading. The characterized metallurgical properties include the main grain siz...

This editorial seeks to help eradicate confusions, enlighten the current perceptions, and highlight a global need to develop feasible guidelines for optimum bioprocessing of barley grain (BG). The optimum processing techniques must result in moderated rumen fermentation of starch and protein, improved rumen microbial protein synthesis, reduced risks of Sub-Acute Rumen Acidosis (SARA) and pro-in...

During the 1980s, the European Union, the US, and Japan followed policies designed to limit the production of grain. In so doing, the production and stock of grain declined during the decade in developed countries. However, grain production increased in developing countries during the 1980s, causing the overall world supply of grain to grow faster than demand. International market prices for...

A major challenge in rice (Oryza sativa L.) production is to enhance water use efficiency (WUE) and maintain or even increase grain yield. WUE, if defined as the biomass accumulation over water consumed, may be fairly constant for a given species in given climate. WUE can be enhanced by less irrigation. However, such enhancement is largely a trade-off against lower biomass production. If WUE is...

Feeding grain whole to cattle generally results in a lower digestibility than that obtained with processed grain. If this problem could be overcome, feeding with whole grain would reduce processing costs, and the slower rate of starch digestion in the rumen could improve fibre digestion with potential beneficial effects on intake and animal production. Two strategies are available to increase t...

In this study, we use the computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to examine welfare and growth effects of expanding grain-based fuel ethanol production in China. The results show that reasonable development of grain-based fuel ethanol will accelerate China’s economy, improve rural household income, and narrow the gap between the rich and the poor. However, expanding the production of grain-...

The omission of relevant independent variables in the estimation of agricultural production functions gives rise to mis-specification and biased estimators. Using disaggregated household survey data, this study finds that official positions and education of household heads are important determinant of grain output in rural China and should be incorporated into the production functions. The impa...

This paper reviews recent development of China’s agricultural domestic support policy, especially the transition from taxing farmers and agriculture to providing direct subsidies to grain production and purchased inputs. A model-based quantitative analysis on the effects of these policy changes has been conducted. Simulation results suggest that recent policy changes have likely achieved the de...