Final answer:
Wheat is a fundamental crop with a rich history and is key to global nutrition.
It has evolved into different varieties over millennia and remains a major aspect of cereal production with significant influence on trade and agriculture, particularly in the United States where it undergoes challenges from climate change and policy shifts.
Step-by-step explanation:
Wheat is not only a staple food used globally but also an organism with an interesting evolutionary history. It originated probably close to 10,000 years ago in what is now Turkey and has since developed into various species with different chromosome counts and traits essential for processing and consumption. Cereal production, which includes wheat, is a significant part of the global agricultural output.
In 2021, the world output of wheat was more than 600 million metric tons. This underscores the crop's importance in feeding the growing population, with over double the yields in least developed countries since 1961 and plays a noteworthy role in India's transformation into a net exporter of wheat due to improved crop yields.
American farmers mainly cultivate winter wheat, with Kansas at the heart of this production, contributing to a significant portion of bread and rolls we consume. On the other hand, spring wheat, favored in the Dakotas and used for pastries and cakes, is a different variety.
Specifically, Durum wheat, which is a type of spring wheat grown primarily in North Dakota, is cherished by pasta makers and is widely used in the production of semolina flour for pasta. Importantly, wheat is also the leading agricultural export from the US,
despite climate change and policy shifts influencing production patterns, such as the increased profitability of corn in regions like North Dakota due to extended growing seasons.