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71-696: The International Grains Agreement (IGA) is an international agreement focused on the grain trade which replaced the International Wheat Agreement in 1995, comprises a Grains Trade Convention (GTC) and a Food Aid Convention (FAC). The IGA is administered by the International Grains Council (IGC), an intergovernmental forum for cooperation on wheat and coarse grain matters. The Grains Trade Convention provides for information-sharing, analysis and consultations on grain market and policy developments. Under

142-418: A chute into a wagon, wheelbarrow, or open pile. When closed, the forage continues past the opening and onward to other parts of the conveyor. Computer automation and a conveyor running the length of a feeding stall can permit the silage to be automatically dropped from above to each animal, with the amount dispensed customized for each location. Silos are hazardous, and people are killed or injured every year in

213-430: A considerable engineering analysis of the system. Flexible Silos are the most versatile and cost-effective solution for the storage of bulk powder and granules. Manufactured from trevira tissue, a tough non-toxic fabric, the silos can handle particle size down to 2 microns and can be pneumatically loaded without the need for a dust collector. The 45-degree fabric silo cone flexes freely when the product discharges, enabling

284-526: A disadvantage for items like chopped wood. The tower silo was invented by Franklin Hiram King . In Canada , Australia and the United States, many country towns or the larger farmers in grain-growing areas have groups of wooden or concrete tower silos, known as grain elevators , to collect grain from the surrounding towns and store and protect the grain for transport by train, truck or barge to

355-402: A fabric bag suspended within a rigid, structural frame. Polyester based fabrics are often used for fabrication of the bag material, with specific attention given to fabric pore size. Upper areas of silo fabric are often manufactured with slightly larger pore size, with the design intent of acting as a vent filter during silo filling. Some designs include metal thread within the fabric, providing

426-418: A large comb -shaped tines to push forage into the bag. The forage is pushed in through a large opening, and as the teeth rotate back out, they pass between the comb tines. The cam-shaped auger teeth essentially wipe the forage off using the steel tines, keeping the forage in the bag. Before filling begins, the entire bag is placed onto the loader as a bunched-up tube folded back on itself in many layers to form

497-407: A large brake shoe pressure regulator, holding back two large winch drums on either side of the loader. Cables from the drum extend to the rear of the bag where a large mesh basket holds the rear end of the bag shut. To prevent molding and to assure an airtight seal during fermentation, the ends of the silo bag tube are gathered, folded, and tied shut to prevent oxygen from entering the bag. Removal of

568-420: A large heavy sheet of silo plastic which seals out oxygen and permits the entire pile to begin to ferment in the autumn. In the winter when animals must be kept indoors, the silo plastic is removed, the unloader is lowered down onto the top of the silage pile, and a hinged door is opened on the side of the silo to permit the silage to be blown out. There is an array of these access doors arranged vertically up

639-604: A much smaller scale. In the 1920s and 1930s, farmers in Australia and Canada reacted against the pricing power of the large grain-handling and shipping companies. Their governments created the Australian Wheat Board and the Canadian Wheat Board as monopsony marketing boards , buying all the wheat in those countries for export. Together, those two boards controlled a large percentage of

710-416: A plug, the forage needs to be forked out into an even layer around the unloader so that the unloader does not immediately dig into the pile and plug itself again. All during this process the farmer is standing on or near a machine that could easily kill them in seconds if it were to accidentally start up. This could happen if someone in the barn were to unknowingly switch on the unloading mechanism while someone

781-418: A processor or to an export port. In bumper crop times, the excess grain is stored in piles without silos or bins, causing considerable losses. Concrete stave silos are constructed from small precast concrete blocks with ridged grooves along each edge that lock them together into a high strength shell. Concrete is much stronger in compression than tension , so the silo is reinforced with steel hoops encircling

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852-489: A relatively large stock of wheat was preserved in some hundreds of pits (silos) cut in the rock. A single silo stored from 60 to 80 tons of wheat, which, with proper precautions, kept in good condition for four years or more. The first modern silo, a wooden and upright one filled with grain , was invented and built in 1873 in Spring Grove, Illinois by Fred Hatch of McHenry County, Illinois , US. Forage silo filling

923-527: A square mile) or more for little or no fee. This moved grain growing, and hence trading, to a much more massive scale. Huge grain elevators were built to take in farmers' produce and move it out via the railways to port. Transportation costs were a major concern for farmers in remote regions, however, and any technology that allowed the easier movement of grain was of great assistance; meanwhile, farmers in Europe struggled to remain competitive while operating on

994-471: A static conductive path from the surface of the fabric to ground. The frame of a fabric silo is typically constructed of steel . Fabric silos are an attractive option because of their relative low cost compared to conventional silos. However, when fabric silos are used to store granular or particulate combustible materials, conventional practices prescribed by established industry consensus standards addressing combustible dust hazards can not be applied without

1065-439: A surplus of it, but rather to produce everything his family needs and become self-sufficient . Only in places and eras where production is geared towards producing a surplus for trade ( commercial agriculture ), does a major grain trade become possible. In the ancient world, grain regularly flowed from the hinterlands to the cores of great empires: maize in ancient Mexico , rice in ancient China , and wheat and barley in

1136-409: A thick pile of plastic. Because the plastic is minimally elastic, the loader mechanism filling chute is slightly smaller than the final size of the bag, to accommodate this stack of plastic around the mouth of the loader. The plastic slowly unfurls itself around the edges of the loader as the tube is filled. The contents of the silo bag are under pressure as it is filled, with the pressure controlled by

1207-534: A traveling sled driven from the PTO of a tractor left in neutral and which is gradually pushed forward as the bag is filled. The steering of the tractor controls the direction of bag placement as it fills, but bags are normally laid in a straight line. The bag is loaded using the same forage harvesting methods as the tower, but the forage wagon must be moved progressively forward with the bag loader. The loader uses an array of rotating cam-shaped spiraled teeth associated with

1278-578: A wide variety of polyethylene plastics. The silos are light weight and make for great small scale storage for farmers with livestock and grain operations. The light weight design and cost effective materials make plastic silos a great alternative to traditional steel bins. Unlike fabric silos, which "tend to be prone to grain rot and pests which have left many farmers frustrated", plastic silos are more safe and secure, keeping grain fresh and unspoiled. They can be designed to be stationary hopper bottom bins or portable pallet bins. Fabric silos are constructed of

1349-476: Is as old as agricultural settlement, identified in many of the early cultures that adopted sedentary farming. Major societal changes have been directly connected to the grain trade, such as the fall of the Roman Empire . From the early modern period onward, grain trade has been an important part of colonial expansion and international power dynamics. The geopolitical dominance of countries like Australia,

1420-413: Is immune to atmospheric pressure changes over time. Instead, the silo structure is open to the atmosphere but outside air is separated from internal air by large impermeable bags sealed to the silo breather openings. In the warmth of the day when the silo is heated by the sun, the gas trapped inside the silo expands and the bags "breathe out" and collapse. At night the silo cools, the air inside contracts and

1491-401: Is in the silo working on the unloader. Often, when unloading grain from an auger or other opening at the bottom of the silo, another worker will be atop the grain "walking it down", to ensure an even flow of grain out of the silo. Sometimes unstable pockets in the grain will collapse beneath the worker doing the walking; this is called grain entrapment as the worker can be completely sunk into

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1562-413: Is performed using a forage harvester which may either be self-propelled with an engine and driver's cab, or towed behind a tractor that supplies power through a PTO . The harvester contains a drum-shaped series of cutting knives which shear the fibrous plant material into small pieces no more than an inch long, to facilitate mechanized blowing and transport via augers. The finely chopped plant material

1633-427: Is then blown by the harvester into a forage wagon which contains an automatic unloading system. Tower forage filling is typically performed with a silo blower which is a very large fan with paddle-shaped blades. Material is fed into a vibrating hopper and is pushed into the blower using a spinning spiral auger . There is commonly a water connection on the blower to add moisture to the plant matter being blown into

1704-422: Is typically lowered only a half-inch or so at a time by the operator, and the unloader picks up only a small amount of material until the winch cable has become taut and the unloader is not picking up any more material. The operator then lowers the unloader another half-inch or so and the process repeats. If lowered too far, the unloader can pull up much more material than it can handle, which can overflow and plug up

1775-410: Is typically much shorter than a silo, and is typically used for holding dry matter such as cement or grain. Grain is often dried in a grain dryer before being stored in the bin. Bins may be round or square, but round bins tend to empty more easily due to a lack of corners for the stored material to become wedged and encrusted. The stored material may be powdered, as seed kernels, or as cob corn. Due to

1846-486: The 2007–2008 world food price crisis . More recently, the dominance of Ukraine and Russia in grain markets such as wheat meant that the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 caused increased fears of a global food crises in 2022 . Changes to agriculture caused by climate change are expected to have cascading effects on global grain markets. The grain trade is probably nearly as old as grain growing , going back

1917-501: The Neolithic Revolution (around 9,500 BCE). Wherever there is a scarcity of land (e.g. cities), people must bring in food from outside to sustain themselves, either by force or by trade. However, many farmers throughout history (and today) have operated at the subsistence level , meaning they produce for household needs and have little leftover to trade. The goal for such farmers is not to specialize in one crop and grow

1988-594: The United States . The shaped is based on natural shape formed when piling solids. The dome is made of prefabricated wood panels with shingles installed on a circular reinforced concrete base. Open canopy entrance allows for front end loaders to fill and retrieve easily. These are usually found along major highway or key primary roads. Plastic silos, also known as hopper bottom tanks, are manufactured through various processes such as: injection molding , rotational molding, and blow molding . They are constructed using

2059-813: The World Trade Organization , or attempted to negotiate them away though the Cairns Group , at the same time the wheat boards have been reformed and many tariffs have been greatly reduced, leading to a further globalization of the industry. For example, in 2008 Mexico was required by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) to remove its tariffs on US and Canadian maize . Similarly, protections in other contexts, such as guaranteed prices for grains in India, have been an important lifeline for small farmers in

2130-529: The ancient Near East . With this came improving technologies for storing and transporting grains; the Hebrew Bible makes frequent mention of ancient Egypt 's massive grain silos . Merchant shipping was important for the carriage of grain in the classical period (and continues to be so). A Roman merchant ship could carry a cargo of grain the length of the Mediterranean for the cost of moving

2201-476: The slipform and Jumpform concrete silos being the larger diameter and taller silos. They can be made of many materials. Wood staves, concrete staves, cast concrete, and steel panels have all been used, and have varying cost, durability, and airtightness tradeoffs. Silos storing grain, cement and woodchips are typically unloaded with air slides or augers. Silos can be unloaded into rail cars, trucks or conveyors. Tower silos containing silage are usually unloaded from

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2272-497: The steamship shifted trade from local to more international patterns. During this time, debate over tariffs and free trade in grain was fierce. Poor industrial workers relied on cheap bread for sustenance, but farmers wanted their government to create a higher local price to protect them from cheap foreign imports , resulting in legislation such as Britain's Corn Laws . As Britain and other European countries industrialized and urbanized, they became net importers of grain from

2343-549: The Food Aid Convention, donor countries pledge to provide annually specified amounts of food aid to developing countries in the form of grain suitable for human consumption, or cash to buy suitable grains in recipient countries. The International Grains Agreement does not contain any mechanisms for stabilizing supplies, prices, or trade. This United Nations –related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Grain trade The grain trade

2414-494: The United States, Canada and the Soviet Union during the 20th century was connected with their status as grain surplus countries. More recently, international commodity markets have been an important part of the dynamics of food systems and grain pricing . Speculation , as well as other compounding production and supply factors leading up to the 2007–2008 financial crises , created rapid inflation of grain prices during

2485-427: The amount of material to be stored. They are packed using a machine made for the purpose, and sealed on both ends. They are unloaded using a tractor and loader or skid-steer loader . The bag is discarded in sections as it is torn off. Bag silos require little capital investment. They can be used as a temporary measure when growth or harvest conditions require more space, though some farms use them every year. A bin

2556-412: The bag loader can be hazardous to bystanders since the pressure must be released and the rear end allowed to collapse onto the ground. A silo unloader specifically refers to a special cylindrical rotating forage pickup device used inside a single tower silo. The main operating component of the silo unloader is suspended in the silo from a steel cable on a pulley that is mounted in the top-center of

2627-482: The bags "breathe in" and expand again. While the iconic blue Harvestore low-oxygen silos were once very common, the speed of its unloader mechanism was not able to match the output rates of modern bunker silos, and this type of silo went into decline. Unloader repair expenses also severely hurt the Harvestore reputation, because the unloader feed mechanism is located in the bottom of the silo under tons of silage. In

2698-416: The blower, outlet spout, and the unloader tube, resulting in a time-wasting process of having to climb up the silo to clear the blockages. Once silage has entered the conveyor system, it can be handled by either manual or automatic distribution systems. The simplest manual distribution system uses a sliding metal platform under the pickup channel. When slid open, the forage drops through the open hole and down

2769-400: The blower. The farmer must continually move around in this highly hazardous environment of spinning shafts and high-speed conveyors to check material flows and adjust speeds, and to start and stop all the equipment between loads. Preparation for filling a silo requires winching the unloader to the top, and any remaining forage at the base that the unloader could not pick up must be removed from

2840-456: The city of Rome was considered to be of the utmost strategic importance to Roman generals and politicians. In Europe, with the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of feudalism , many farmers were reduced to a subsistence level, producing only enough to fulfill their obligation to their lord and the Church , with little for themselves, and even less for trading. The little that was traded

2911-418: The contents in a low-oxygen atmosphere at all times, to keep the fermented contents in a high quality state, and to prevent mold and decay, as may occur in the top layers of a stave silo or bunker. Low-oxygen silos are only opened directly to the atmosphere during the initial forage loading, and even the unloader chute is sealed against air infiltration. It would be expensive to design such a huge structure that

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2982-903: The context of further industrialization of agriculture . When the BJP Party government of Narendra Modi attempted to repeal guaranteed prices for farmers on key grains like wheat, f armers throughout the country rose in protest . Silo A silo (from Ancient Greek σιρός ( sirós )  'pit for holding grain') is a structure for storing bulk materials . Silos are commonly used for bulk storage of grain, coal , cement , carbon black , woodchips , food products and sawdust . Three types of silos are in widespread use today: tower silos, bunker silos, and bag silos. Silos are used in agriculture to store fermented feed known as silage . Storage silos are cylindrical structures, typically 10 to 90 ft (3 to 27 m) in diameter and 30 to 275 ft (10 to 90 m) in height with

3053-518: The development of new crops. Price volatility greatly effects countries that are dependent on grain imports, such as certain countries in the MENA region . "Price volatility is a life-and-death issue for many people around the world" warned ICTSD Senior Fellow Sergio Marchi. "Trade policies need to incentivize investment in developing country agriculture, so that poor farmers can build resistance to future price shocks". Two major price volatility crises in

3124-833: The dry nature of the stored material, it tends to be lighter than silage and can be more easily handled by under-floor grain unloaders. To facilitate drying after harvesting, some grain bins contain a hollow perforated or screened central shaft to permit easier air infiltration into the stored grain. There are different types of cement silos such as the low-level mobile silo and the static upright cement silo, which are used to hold and discharge cement and other powder materials such as pulverised fuel ash (PFA). The low-level silos are fully mobile with capacities from 100 to 750 tons. They are simple to transport and are easy to set up on site. These mobile silos generally come equipped with an electronic weighing system with digital display and printer. This allows any quantity of cement or powder discharged from

3195-433: The early 21st century, during the 2007–2008 world food price crisis and 2022 food crises , have had major negative effects on grain prices globally. Climate change is expected to create major agricultural failures , that will continue to create volatile food price markets especially for bulk goods like grains. Protection against international market prices has been an important part of how some countries have responded to

3266-634: The efficient flow of hard to handle products such as sugar, flour, calcium carbonate etc., minimally assisted by a small vibrator fitted to the discharge transition. The trevira tissue is able to breathe, preventing condensation from forming on its internal walls. This eliminates lumping and caking of the product. With sizes ranging from 2m to over 1000m , Rigid Silos cover an extreme range of applications and they can be constructed from various materials. Rigid silos can be provided with more than one vertical partition to compartmentalize it for different grades of product. The 5th millennium BC site of Tel Tsaf in

3337-592: The event of cutter chain breakage, it can cost up to US$ 10,000 to perform repairs. The silo may need to be partially or completely emptied by alternate means, to unbury the broken unloader and retrieve broken components lost in the silage at the bottom of the structure. In 2005 the Harvestore company recognized these issues and worked to develop new unloaders with double the flow rate of previous models to stay competitive with bunkers, and with far greater unloader chain strength. They are now also using load sensing soft-start variable frequency drive motor controllers to reduce

3408-429: The face of ever larger trucks . Modern issues affecting the grain trade include food security concerns, the increasing use of biofuels , the controversy over how to properly store and separate genetically modified and organic crops, the local food movement, the desire of developing countries to achieve market access in industrialized economies, climate change and drought shifting agricultural patterns, and

3479-413: The floor of the silo. This job requires that the farmer work directly underneath a machine weighing several tons suspended fifty feet or more overhead from a small steel cable. Should the unloader fall, the farmer will likely be killed instantly. Unloading also poses its own special hazards, due to the requirement that the farmer regularly climb the silo to close an upper door and open a lower door, moving

3550-632: The grain trade was divided between a few state-owned and privately owned giants. The state giants were Exportkhleb of the Soviet Union, the Canadian Wheat Board, the Australian Wheat Board, the Australian Barley Board , and so on. The largest private companies, known as the "big five", were Cargill , Continental , Louis Dreyfus , Bunge , and Andre, an older European company not to be confused with

3621-1031: The large trading companies. By contrast, in 1980, the US government attempted to use its food power to punish the Soviet Union for its invasion of Afghanistan with an embargo on grain exports . This was seen as a failure in terms of foreign policy (the Soviets made up the deficit on the international market), and negatively impacted American farmers. Since the Second World War, the trend in North America has been toward further consolidation of already vast farms. Transportation infrastructure has also promoted more economies of scale . Railways have switched from coal to diesel fuel, and introduced hopper car to carry more mass with less effort. The old wooden grain elevators have been replaced by massive concrete inland terminals, and rail transportation has retreated in

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3692-543: The likelihood of mechanism breakage, and to control the feeder sweep arm movement. Bunker silos are trenches, usually with concrete walls, that are filled and packed using tractors and loaders. The filled trench is covered with a plastic tarp to make it airtight. These silos are usually unloaded with a tractor and loader. They are inexpensive and especially well suited to very large operations. Bag silos are heavy plastic tubes, usually around 8 to 12 ft (2.4 to 3.6 m) in diameter, and of variable length as required for

3763-449: The more recent André Maggi Group from Brazil. In 1972, the Soviet Union's wheat crop failed. To prevent shortages in their country, Soviet authorities were able to buy most of the surplus American harvest through private companies without the knowledge of the United States government. This drove up prices across the world, and was dubbed the " great grain robbery " by critics, leading to greater public attention being paid by Americans to

3834-418: The process of filling and maintaining them. The machinery used is dangerous, and workers can fall from a tower silo's ladder or work platform. Several fires have occurred over the years. Filling a silo requires parking two tractors very close to each other, both running at full power and with live PTO shafts , one powering the silo blower and the other powering a forage wagon unloading fresh-cut forage into

3905-414: The roof of the silo. The vertical positioning of the unloader is controlled by an electric winch on the exterior of the silo. For the summer filling of a tower silo, the unloader is winched as high as possible to the top of the silo and put into a parking position. The silo is filled with a silo blower , which is literally a very large fan that blows a large volume of pressurized air up a 10-inch tube on

3976-564: The same amount 15 miles by land. The large cities of the time could not exist without the supplies delivered. For example, in the first three centuries AD, Rome consumed about 150,000 tons of Egyptian grain each year. During the classical age, the unification of China and the pacification of the Mediterranean basin by the Roman Empire created vast regional markets in commodities at either end of Eurasia . The grain supply to

4047-405: The side of the silo, with an unloading tube next to the doors that has a series of removable covers down the side of the tube. The unloader tube and access doors are normally covered with a large U-shaped shield mounted on the silo, to protect the farmer from wind, snow, and rain while working on the silo. The silo unloader mechanism consists of a pair of counter-rotating toothed augers which rip up

4118-403: The side of the silo. A small amount of water is introduced into the air stream during filling to help lubricate the filling tube. A small adjustable nozzle at the top, controlled by a handle at the base of the silo directs the silage to fall into the silo on the near, middle, or far side, to facilitate evenly layered loading. Once completely filled, the top of the exposed silage pile is covered with

4189-425: The silo blower attached to the silo at all times to use it when necessary to ventilate the silo with fresh air, or to have a dedicated electric fan system to blow fresh air into the silo, before anyone attempts to enter it. In the event that the unloader mechanism becomes plugged, the farmer must climb the silo and directly stand on the unloader, reaching into the blower spout to dig out the soft silage. After clearing

4260-607: The silo to be controlled and also provides an accurate indication of what remains inside the silo. The static upright silos have capacities from 200 to 800 tons. These are considered a low-maintenance option for the storage of cement or other powders. Cement silos can be used in conjunction with bin-fed batching plants . Sand and salt for winter road maintenance are stored in conical dome-shaped (clear truss roof) silos. These are more common in North America , namely in Canada and

4331-422: The silo. The blower may be driven by an electric motor but it is more common to use a spare tractor instead. A large slow-moving conveyor chain underneath the silage in the forage wagon moves the pile towards the front, where rows of rotating teeth break up the pile and drop it onto a high-speed transverse conveyor that pours the silage out the side of the wagon into the blower hopper. Silo bags are filled using

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4402-652: The southern Levant contain the earliest known silos. Archaeological ruins and ancient texts show that silos were used in ancient Greece as far back as the late 8th century BC; the term silo is derived from the Greek σιρός ( siros ), "pit for holding grain". The silo pit, as it has been termed, has been a favorite way of storing grain from time immemorial in Asia. In Turkey and Persia, insurance agents bought stores of wheat or barley whilst comparatively cheap, and store it in hidden pits against seasons of dearth. In Malta

4473-426: The surface of the silage and pull it towards the center of the unloader. The toothed augers rotate in a circle around the center hub, evenly chewing the silage off the surface of the pile. In the center, a large blower assembly picks up the silage and blows it out the silo door, where the silage falls by gravity down the unloader tube to the bottom of the silo, typically into an automated conveyor system. The unloader

4544-482: The top but become progressively more closely spaced towards the bottom to prevent seams from opening and the contents leaking out. Concrete stave silos are built from common components designed for high strength and long life. They have the flexibility to have their height increased according to the needs of the farm and purchasing power of the farmer, or to be completely disassembled and reinstalled somewhere else if no longer needed. Low-oxygen silos are designed to keep

4615-410: The top of the pile, originally by hand using a silage fork—which has many more tines than the common pitchfork; 12 vs 4—and in modern times using mechanical unloaders. Bottom silo unloaders are utilized at times, but have problems with difficulty of repair. An advantage of tower silos is that the silage tends to pack well due to its own weight, except in the top few feet. However, this may be

4686-426: The tower and compressing the staves into a tight ring. The vertical stacks are held together by intermeshing of the ends of the staves by a short distance around the perimeter of each layer, and hoops which are tightened directly across the stave edges. The static pressure of the material inside the silo pressing outward on the staves increases towards the bottom of the silo, so the hoops can be spaced wide apart near

4757-412: The unloader chute from door to door in the process. The fermentation of the silage produces methane gas which over time will outgas and displace the oxygen in the top of the silo. A farmer directly entering a silo without any other precautions can be asphyxiated by the methane, knocked unconscious, and silently suffocate to death before anyone else knows what has happened. It is either necessary to leave

4828-595: The various breadbaskets of the world. In many parts of Europe, as serfdom was abolished, great estates were accompanied by many inefficient smallholdings , but in the newly colonized regions massive operations were available to not only great nobles, but also to the average farmer. In the United States and Canada, the Homestead Act and the Dominion Lands Act allowed pioneers on the western plains to gain tracts of 160 acres (0.65 km ) (1/4 of

4899-660: The volitility of market prices. For example, farmers in the European Union , United States and Japan are protected by agricultural subsidies . The European Union's programs are organized under the Common Agricultural Policy . The agricultural policy of the United States is demonstrated through the "farm bill" , while rice production in Japan is also protected and subsidized. Farmers in other countries has attempted to have these policies disallowed by

4970-511: The world's grain trade in the mid-20th century. Additionally, farmers' cooperatives such the wheat pools became a popular alternative to the major grain companies. At the same time in the Soviet Union and soon after in China , disastrous collectivization programs effectively turned the world's largest farming nations into net importers of grain. By the second half of the 20th century,

5041-537: Was moved around locally at regular fairs . A massive expansion in the grain trade occurred when Europeans were able to bring millions of square kilometers of new land under cultivation in the Americas , Russia, and Australia, an expansion starting in the fifteenth and lasting into the twentieth century. In addition, the consolidation of farmland in Britain and Eastern Europe , and the development of railways and

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