Computer access to vegetation greenness maps will allow grain traders in Chicago to monitor Midwestern farm crops. This information will help farmers determine planting, fertilizing, and harvesting schedules. The good bugs eat the bad bugs and are then washed away in the processing. The world will face continued growth in grain demand driven by the addition of nearly 90 million people per year and a recovering world economy. Most soybeans consumed for food are eaten in East Asia as bean curd in various forms, principally as tofu.
Wheat is traditionally the world's leading crop.
Recently, corn production has been surpassing wheat production. The production of beef, the leading source of meat throughout the postwar period, was overtaken by pork in the late seventies, opening a lead that has continued to widen since then. Worldwide consumption of fish is at its highest recorded level and growing. The world fish catch went from 22 million to 101 million tons during the period of 1950-1994. Recent high winds and tornadoes have damaged trees in several counties.