Over the course of a century, the Canadian Prairies went from being the breadbasket of the world to but one of many grain-growing regions in a vast global agri-food system. When Wheat Was King traces the causes and consequences of this evolution, from the first transatlantic shipments of wheat to the controversial dismantling of the Canadian Wheat Board. The story begins with the early struggles of prairie farmers confronting forces outside their control – world prices, unpredictable weather, powerful banks, and the emergence of a global grain trade. Canadian governments responded with the creation of a central system for grain pooling, quality control, and collective marketing that linked the Prairies to the world market. In the postwar period, US priorities shaped a new food regime, and in the years that followed, the wheat trade faced the liberalization of global markets and the consolidation of corporate power. This ambitious look at how farmers, consumers, the state, and markets coalesced in the production, distribution, and consumption of food in the Canadian-UK grain trade offers keen insights into how regional and international politics influence agriculture and food industries and policies in Canada, the UK, and around the globe. | When Wheat Was King by André Magnan, Hardcover | Indigo Chapters