Corn Harvest 2012

Corn, Zea mays L., (or “maize” at it is known throughout much of the world) is a cereal crop, a member of the grass family. Corn is grown around the world and is one of the globe’s most widely used food staples; corn varieties are directly used for food and animal feed or processed to make food and feed ingredients (such as high fructose corn syrup, corn starch and lysine) or industrial products such as ethanol and polylactic acid (PLA). The two primary methods of processing corn are referred to as “dry” and “wet” millin

Industry Overview

In 2005, the U.S. produced 42 percent of the world’s corn. Over 50 percent of the U.S. crop is produced in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska or Illinois. Other states in which corn is grown include Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Missouri. In 2005, over 58 percent of the U.S. corn crop was used for feed. The remaining U.S. crop was split between exports (25 percent) and food, seed or industrial uses such as ethanol production (17 percent).

Other major corn producing countries include China, Brazil, Mexico and the 25 countries that make up the European Union.

Corn Facts

• An ear of corn averages 800 kernels in 16 rows
• 1 pound of corn is around 1,300 kernals
• 100 bushels of corn is about 7,280,000 kernels
• Each year one american farmer provides food and fiber for 129 people…97 in the U.S and 32 overseas.
• In the U.S. corn production measures 2x that of any other crop.
• Corn is produced on every continent of the world except Antarctica.
• Corn is used as a sweetener in most of the soft drinks and other commercial products that call for a low-cost sweetening agent.
• A single bushel of corn can sweeten 400 cans of soft drinks!

All of our corn seed is proudly purchased from Kitchen Seed Company  http://kitchenseed.com/