Photographs of silos

This article explores the dissemination of the photographs and photo-reproductions of the now-canonical North and South American grain elevators, published and disseminated in the early twentieth century in publications such as the 1913 Werkbund Yearbook where Walter Gropius included them as illustrations to his article, and later by Le Corbusier in Vers une architecture, amongst many others. It emphasises that while within architecture discourse the idea of a canon made up of buildings is widely accepted, this article identifies and stresses the role of ‘photographic canons’ as a means to further challenge these constructions. To do so, the article focuses on the moment where these photo-reproductions were consolidated as canonical and the mechanisms that such a construct implied. It investigates the photo-reproductions’ history as objects of trade and exchange, as well as their mobilisation in relation to photographic media and different dissemination platforms to argue that, on the one hand, that this informed their reading as architectural, and thus singular, objects. And on the other, that the materiality of the photo-reproductions’ different instances testifies to their nature as commodities and objects of trade, and therefore to the consolidation of their canonical status.

Innovation in preservation

The preservation of a large and complex museum vessel is often demanding work in building good practices and beneficial networks among specialists, supporters, and the community. The grain elevator “Stadsgraanzuiger 19” that can be visited either at Maritime Museum Rotterdam or Museum aan de Stroom in Antwerp is a case in point. It’s story exemplifies that challenges in museum collections and research work to permanently preserve such a spectacular and massive machine. In this article Richard Velthuizen revisits the history of grain elevators, the socio-technical change at Rotterdam port, and the preservation and cultural heritage efforts in saving this historic elevator. He also unentangles the social process with which the large, floating machine has been preserved.

Britannia’s Achilles Heel

By the turn of the twentieth century, British leaders were contemplating the strategic implications of the recent transformation in the global economy now called the first era of globalization. Defense experts worried particularly about Britain’s dependence upon imported food, especially wheat. This chapter explains the internationalization of the global wheat market, focusing on the role of new technologies and important changes in day-to-day business practices. The most significant of these were the spread of commercial agriculture to the Southern Hemisphere, the introduction of grain elevators for wheat storage, and the development of futures contracts. In 1905, a Royal Commission concluded that Britain’s food security problem really lay in the fragility of the new globalized system. The concern was that in wartime the market system might freeze, causing wheat to become unaffordable rather than unobtainable. In reaching this conclusion, the commission exploited early economic theory on the psychology of economic shocks.

REGARDING THE EFFICIENCY OF LOGISTICS SCHEMES FOR EXPORTING UKRAINIAN GRAIN TO CONSUMER COUNTRIES IN THE ASIAN REGION

The paper examines the export of grain cargo (for example, wheat) for the company "Nibulon". The authors considered the delivery of wheat from the grain elevators of the Nibulon company to Asian countries, with which a contract for the supply of grain with an intermediate stage-transshipment in the ports of Odessa, Yuzhny and Nikolaev. The task of the supplier company is to ensure that the conditions for grain delivery are met in accordance with the concluded contracts with importing countries, as well as to select transshipment ports and justify the type of vehicles used in the delivery of grain cargo flow from grain elevators to transshipment ports, by forming optimal delivery schemes.The specified cargo is transported from elevators to transshipment ports by rail, road and river transport. In international traffic, transportation is carried out by sea transport. To calculate the logistics schemes for the delivery of export cargo, an economic and mathematical model of a two-stage transport problem was formed. The article formulated the transport problem of grain delivery from grain elevators through transshipment ports to the destination country (port). Cargo delivery is carried out in a mixed connection (Sea part of the way and land). Cargo transshipment can be carried out in ports. A route of cargo delivery from senders to recipients was chosen,and a mode of transport that provides overall minimal costs. As a result of solving the problem according to the compiled economic and mathematical model, logistics schemes for the delivery of export cargo flow of wheat from the grain elevators of the Nibulon company through the ports of the Black Sea region to the importing countries of the Asian region were formed. The calculated economic effect showed that using the new optimal route, it is possible not only to get the previous profit, but also to reduce transportation costs on all routes. Taking into account the share of cargo traffic assigned to river transport, we can conclude that grain transportation along the Dnieper river by river transport is a promising option for the development of river export grain logistics in Ukraine.

Maximizing Processing Value with Selective Handling Strategies: An Analysis of Soybeans Received at Iowa Elevators

Highlights Levels of protein and oil influence the marketability of soybeans Geographic differences in soybeans have economic implications for grain elevators Random errors in the receiving and analysis process mask these differences For soybeans to be marketed on protein and oil levels, errors in handling and analysis must be addressed Abstract . A better ability to understand and use geographic variations in protein and oil is one way to maximize the value potential of soybeans for handlers and processors. An Iowa cooperative had been sourcing soybeans for processing from nearby elevator locations and wanted to know whether this strategy was maximizing the net processing value of the soybeans. Random and systematic errors from testing and measurement instruments also impact marketing decisions and were investigated as part of this project. During the Fall 2018 soybean harvest, soybean samples were collected from 32 country elevator locations belonging to one Iowa-based cooperative which has its own soybean processing plant. Samples were analyzed using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIR), and protein and oil content data were entered into an Estimated Processing Value (EPV) model to determine value differences of soybeans among elevator locations. Results showed substantial variability among locations that represented a $0.23/bushel EPV spread. No significant variation was found in soybean quality over the harvest season, suggesting that marketing decisions can be made at the beginning of the season. To determine the incidence of random errors, a simulated Excel-based model was used with three test cases. The introduction of random error lowered value gaps between locations, which made the discrimination of high-value locations from average or low-value locations difficult. Although protein and oil measurement with the NIR instrument was feasible even on busy harvest season days, the validity of marketing decisions using these data depended highly on the error involved in sample analysis. Future studies should identify specific sources of error and attempt to eliminate them. Specifically, one of the largest sources of error in a commodity-based market system is in the measuring units. The ability to isolate and quantify measurement error will improve the capability of the commodity-based soybean market system to focus trade decisions on end use traits, maximizing soybean value and providing incentive for improvement. Keywords: Error analysis, Grain elevators, Selective handling, Soybean processing, Soybean value.

Adequate Lubrication As the First (and Often Only) Line of Defense Against Dust Explosions in Grain Elevators

Finely divided solid materials (e.g., dusts and fines), when dispersed in the air, can fuel particularly violent and destructive explosions. In this paper we will discuss a case study involving a dust explosion in a grain elevator and how a careful bearing greasing policy could have avoided it. We present the most common conditions that lead to bearing overheating which can serve as the ignition source for a dust explosion. Additionally, we stress the need to raise awareness among operators about the wide variety of greases available, and given this wide variety, it is critical for facilities to ensure they use a grease with characteristics as close as possible as these recommended by the equipment manufacturer.

Covariation of Ergot Severity and Alkaloid Content Measured by HPLC and One ELISA Method in Inoculated Winter Rye across Three Isolates and Three European Countries

Ergot caused by Claviceps purpurea is a problem for food and feed security in rye due to the occurrence of toxic ergot alkaloids (EAs). For grain elevators and breeders, a quick, easy-to-handle, and cheap screening assay would have a high economic impact. The study was performed to reveal (1) the covariation of ergot severity (= percentage of sclerotia in harvested grain) and the content of 12 EAs determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and (2) the covariation between these traits and results of one commercial enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). In total, 372 winter rye samples consisting of a diverse set of genotypes, locations from Germany, Austria, and Poland over two years, and three isolates were analyzed. Ergocornine and α-ergocryptine were detected as major EAs. Ergocristinine occurred as a minor component. Claviceps isolates from different countries showed a similar EA spectrum, but different quantities of individual EAs. A moderate, positive covariation between ergot severity and EA content determined by HPLC was observed across two years (r = 0.53, p < 0.01), but large deviation from the regression was detected. ELISA values did neither correlate with the HPLC results nor with ergot severity. In conclusion, a reliable prediction of the EA content based on ergot severity is, at present, not possible.