Red Wing, Minnesota, USA

Silos like these punctuate the American wheat belt, and Red Wing early evolved as one of the centers of wheat production. Why? The Mississippi River tells the story. Not only was the land and climate ideal for cereals, but the river was ideal for getting grain to market. Then came the railroads, and the river lost some of its significance as a highway. [2021]

Dalton, Nebraska, USA

Educated guess: The sunflower crop has been hit by a defoliant because the uniformity of dessication is exactly what the oil mill ordered. Just imagine how beautiful this field was when in full bloom. It's just too bad Nebraska didn't beat Kansas to proclaiming the sunflower the state's official flower. Nebraska had to settle for the goldenrod. [2019]

Momence, Illinois, USA

Unraveling rural color codes: Ford tractors are blue; International Harvester tractors are red. John Deere tractors are green; Allis-Chalmers tractors are orange. Minneapolis-Moline tractors are yellow(ish). Case tractors are gray. What company made the tractor atop this silo? [1999]

Dexter, Minnesota, USA

Banners can spruce up any town. So can flags. Together, they are almost like fireworks on the Fourth. Happy Independence Day! [2019]

Quebec City, Quebec, Canada

The Bunge grain silos in the old port of Quebec City distract not at all from the recreational value of the yacht harbor. In fact, they add an element of geometric beauty au bord de la rivière. Right here,  the industrial age meets post-industrial lifestyles, and the fit is as perfect as the diphthong in pier. [2018]

Brawley, California, USA

Sea levels are rising about 1 inch every eight years. Why? Global warming. Everyone knows about melting glaciers and ice sheets. Fewer people know about the expanding volume of ocean water as it gets warmer. The sea-level line on this silo near the Salton Sea is already a part of the historical geography of planet Earth. [1988]

Landmark, Manitoba, Canada

Surprised? Probably not, but you might be if you knew what you were looking at. It's a glass silo. Silos were traditionally built of tiles, wood staves, or concrete. Then, in the early 1950s, came the glass silo that revolutionized the storage of silage. The glass is on the inside, and it's fused to the steel structure. See any sign of Canadian nationalism? [2012]

Greencastle, Pennsylvania, USA

Surprised? Here's a brick-end barn topped by a man riding a mule. According to local legend, it started out to be a horse, but the farmer couldn't pay his bills, so the brick mason turned it into a lesser steed. It was built around 1850 when the Cumberland Valley was still the breadbasket of the nation. Next to the barn: a tile silo. [1985]

Bath, Maine, USA

When you're reading the landscape, always be prepared for surprises! That's what makes it fun. Surprised at what you see here? Are these people animals? No. Just a little unconventional. We've become used to seeing converted barns, but here's a converted silo. It's another, delightfully different, visual reminder of the agrarian past. [2008]

Sudan, Texas, USA

The name of the street is Temple. The name of the ironmonger that makes signs like this is West Craft Metal Arts. In so many towns of the Texas-New Mexico borderland, street signs take the shape of silhouettes. It's folk art in action, and the simple scene here is perfect for Thanksgiving day. [2016]

Nekoma, North Dakota, USA

Grain silos thread together the landscapes of the Great Plains. Just imagine the day when grains were sacked in burlap to be taken to market. Expect to find a rail depot nearby? [2012]

Langdon, North Dakota, USA

Canadian Oilseed Low-Acid, otherwise known as Canola, is one of the world's leading sources of cooking oil. It was hybridized in the 1970s and genetically modified (by Monsanto, of course) in the 1990s to resist pesticides. It looks beautiful in the field, but its original name wasn't so beautiful: rapeseed. [2012]

Bryanston, Ontario, Canada

Don and Debbie had six sons. Together, they kept the farm in business. On their barn is a sign of pride, but it is also a sign of the demographics of agrarian economies. You had large families to do the work that needed to be done. In the post-agrarian world, you apologize for large families. [2013]

Arkansaw, Wisconsin, USA

Barns and silos of this size just can't operate at economies of scale in today's agribusiness environment. So, abandonment sets in, working orifices become gaping wounds, and bright greens and yellows fade and peal. [2012]

Schuyler, Nebraska, USA

Railroad + grain silos + town = the settlement geography of the Great Plains. In this case, the railroad is the Union Pacific, the grain silos serve Land O'Lakes, and the town shows its Czech history with the name Duden appearing on A Street's biggest building. [2008]