Vocabulary

agriculture

the science, art, or practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising livestock and in varying degrees the preparation and marketing of the resulting products

economy

a way to make a living; how people produce, sell, and buy goods and services. The wealth and resources of a country or region, especially in terms of the production and consumption of goods and services

entrepreneur

one who organizes, manages, and assumes the risks of a business

farmer

a person involved in raising raw agricultural products and making decisions related to the farming operation

farming

the production of food and fiber derived from plants and animals

food

all materials and substances used for consumption by humans and other living things

manufacturing

the process of turning raw materials into finished goods, usually by using machines, technology, and workers to produce items on a large scale

Background Information

All Utah’s Own companies are located in—you guessed it—Utah! Buying food from local farms and businesses is good for communities, the economy, and the environment. When you buy Utah produce, you are getting products that have been picked closer to peak ripeness, adding flavor and improving the texture to most fruits and vegetables. Most produce in the U.S. is picked four to seven days before being placed on supermarket shelves and is shipped an average of 1,500 miles before being sold. While comparative advantage needs to be considered, the distances are substantially longer when we consider produce imported from Mexico, Asia, Canada, South America, and other parts of the world. With energy being a major cost, we all need to consider energy-efficient agricultural methods and local production as an option.

Buying a Utah’s Own product benefits the local economy by keeping dollars spent in the community. In addition, other Utah companies benefit, such as the trucking company that ships the product, the locally owned grocery store that sells the products, and state and city governments that operate taxes from all the local people and businesses that are supported by the manufacturing of the products. The Utah Department of Agriculture and Food estimates that every dollar spent to purchase locally produced products adds between $4 and $6 to the Utah economy.

From Raw Products to Food

Food begins as raw products taken from the farm. Some items, like corn, may be eaten directly in their natural state, while others are transformed into entirely new products such as corn chips, soda, peanut butter, detergents, or even medicines. Many farm products need to be processed into a form that is easier to digest and more enjoyable to eat. Wheat is a good example: it would take hundreds of raw kernels to provide the same nutrition that we can more easily obtain once wheat is processed into flour and baked into bread. Flour is also a foundation for hundreds of other foods—from tortillas and pasta to muffins, cookies, and pretzels.

The Food Industry

The food industry includes both the processing and distribution of food. Processing changes raw agricultural goods into forms that are safer, tastier, or more useful, while distribution ensures these foods reach grocery stores, restaurants, and school cafeterias. Together, these steps turn farm products into the wide variety of foods people enjoy every day.

Utah Wheat

There are two major types of wheat grown in the United States—winter wheat and spring wheat. Winter wheat is planted in the fall and harvested the following summer in the states from Nebraska southward. Spring wheat is planted in April or May and harvested in August or September in states north of Nebraska. Below are the types of wheat grown in the United States:

• Durum: Very hard, translucent, light-colored grain used to make semolina flour for pasta and bulgur; high in protein, specifically gluten protein.
• Hard Red Spring:Hard, brownish, high-protein wheat use for bread and hard baked goods. Bread flour and high-gluten flours are commonly made from hard red spring wheat.
• Hard Red Winter: Hard, brownish, mellow high-protein wheat used for bread, hardy baked goods, and as an adjunct in other flours to increase protein in pastry flour for pie crusts. Some brands of unbleached all-purpose flours are commonly made from hard red winter wheat alone.
• Soft Red Winter:Soft, low -protein wheat used for cakes, pie crusts, biscuits, and muffins. Cake flour, pastry flour, and some self-rising flours with baking powder and salt added, for example, are made from soft red winter wheat.
• Hard White:Hard, light-colored, opaque, chalky, medium-protein wheat planted in dry, temperate areas. Used for bread and brewing.
• Soft White:Soft, light-colored, very low protein wheat grown in temperate moist areas. Used for pie crusts and pastry. Pastry flour, for example, is sometimes made from soft white winter wheat.

Utah wheat farmers grow primarily hard red winter wheat, which is used mainly to make breads and hard rolls. Soft white wheat, which is used as a cake or pastry flour, is also grown in Utah. To learn more about baking with different wheat see Types of Wheat: Baking and Buying.

In this project-based learning activity, students will develop a unique retail food product that includes ingredients (51%) that have been sourced in Utah to create a new “Utah’s Own” company. To be considered a Utah’s Own member (enterprise/company), entrepreneurs seeking this designation must meet the following criteria (this is for farmers, food producers, chefs, and retailers):

• Be owned and operated within the state of Utah
• Not affiliated/owned by a national franchise
• Own a Utah production/manufacturing facility
• Show that more than 51% of your product ingredients are Utah raised or grown

Teacher Preparation

Prior to Milestone 1, set up a Pinterest Board with recipe links using the readily available Utah’s Own products: wheat/flour, honey, salt, eggs, milk, butter, cheese, jams, and seasonings or use the Culinary Concepts: Utah’s Own Pinterest Board. This Pinterest Board may be used for ideas, or create your own options using any other media to show the possibilities. Assemble the ingredients for completion of the recipes/products you have identified as “possibilities.”