Food System 21 : Gearing Up for the New Millennium - Part I

T he U.S. agricultural production and food distribution industry is currently in the midst of major structural changes. To assist in understanding the implications of these changes and the future of the industry, faculty in the School of Agriculture at Purdue University in collaboration with industry representatives undertook a study to assess the future of the food production, processing, and distribution system. The results of this analysis are reported in detail in Food System 21: Gearing Up for the New Millennium—winner of a Gold Award for editing from the Agricultural Communicators in Education. Congratulations to Laura Hoelshcer, PhD, Editor, Agricultural Communications Service, for this accomplishment. In this and subsequent issues we will provide summaries of five key chapters of that book: international trade, consumer demand for food, the hog/pork sector, the beef sector and the grains and oil seeds sector. These summaries will present the “Key Questions & Responses” section, of each chapter which provides a synopsis of the most important issues discussed in that chapter of the book. You may or may not agree with our analysis. We encourage you to read the complete analysis in Food System 21: Gearing Up for the New Millennium which is available for $29.95 from: Agricultural Communication Service Media Distribution Center 301 South 2nd Street Lafayette, IN 47901-1232 1-888-EXT-INFO FAX (765)496-1540