Did you know corn is America's number one field crop? Corn leads all other crops in value and volume of production. Here's some more interesting facts about corn....
Corn Math
An ear of corn averages 800 kernels in 16 rows.
A pound of corn consists of approximately 1,300 kernels.
100 bushels of corn produces approximately 7,280,000 kernels.
Each year, a single U.S. farmer provides food and fiber for 129 people - 97 in the U.S. and 32 overseas.
In the U.S., corn production measures more than 2 times that of any other crop.
Over 55% of Iowa's corn goes to foreign markets. The rest is used in other parts of the United States.
Corn Products
Your bacon and egg breakfast, glass of milk at lunch, or hamburger for supper were all produced with U.S. corn.
Corn is a major component in many food items like cereals, peanut butter, snack foods and soft drinks.
U.S. researchers have led the way in finding many uses for corn - like in vitamins and amino acids.
Corn is used to produce fuel alcohol. Fuel alcohol makes gasoline burn cleaner, reducing air pollution, and it doesn't pollute the water.
Corn Geography
Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and Minnesota account for over 50 percent of the corn grown in the U.S. Other major corn growing states are Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas and Kentucky.
The "Corn Belt" includes the states of Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas and Kentucky.
Corn is produced on every continent of the world with the exception of Antarctica.
The area known as the "Pacific Rim" region (in Asia) is emerging as the world's fastest growing market for U.S. corn. There, most of the corn is fed to livestock to produce food for humans. The majority of the world's population is located in the Pacific Rim region.
Exports are critical to the well being of American agriculture. Nearly one third of our nation's corn crop is targeted for exports.
