The shipping and handling of grain from farm to market was once a very awkward, inefficient process. Grain had to be moved about in sacks, and for longer journeys, it had to be transferred into difficult-to-handle barrels to protect it from the...

Grain elevators are buildings or complexes of buildings for storage and shipment of grain. They were invented in 1842 in Buffalo, New York by Joseph Dart, who first developed a steam-powered mechanism, called a marine leg, for scooping grain out of the...

SEDUCTIONS OF RICE By Jeffrey Alford & Naomi Duguid Artisan, 454 pp., $35 Naomi Duguid and Jeffrey Alford did not grow up on a rice-based diet, but 20 years of travels through Asia inspired their passion. After their first cookbook, "Flatbreads and Flavors,"...

Ten years after 54 workers were killed in twin Christmas week grain elevator explosions, the government yesterday adopted safety standards aimed at preventing explosive grain dust from claiming more lives. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said its new regulations, intended to prevent...

The Agriculture Department is trying to block the planting and distribution of a long-grain rice seed because it may contain traces of genetically engineered rice, officials said Monday.The department began telling distributors Sunday they must hold the rice seed, scheduled for planting this spring.The seed,...

As a longtime farmer, Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley said he quickly saw the folly of new propane regulations proposed by the Department of Homeland Security.The proposal would list propane as a chemical of interest when kept in quantities greater than 7,500 pounds, forcing a costly...