FLINT CORN

Flint corn (Zea mays indurata; also known as Indian corn or sometimes calico corn) is a variant of maize (var. Linnaeus), the same species as common corn. Because each kernel has a hard outer layer to protect the soft endosperm, it is likened to being hard as flint, hence the name.

Flint corn
Flint corn is named for its hard kernels, which come in a multitude of colors
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Superdivision:	Spermatophytes
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Subdivision:	Mesangiospermae
Class:	Monocotyledons
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Panicoideae
(unranked):	Andropogonodae
Tribe:	Maydeae
Genus:	Zea
Species:	Z. mays
Variety:	var. indurata
Trinomial name
Zea mays var. indurata

History

With less soft starch than dent corn (Zea mays indentata), flint corn does not have the dents in each kernel from which dent corn gets its name. This is one of the three types of corn cultivated by Native Americans, both in New England and across the northern tier, including by tribes such as the Pawnee on the Great Plains. Archeologists have found evidence of such corn cultivation by the Pawnee and others before 1000 BC. Cultivation of corn occurred hundreds of years earlier among the Mississippian culture people, whose civilization arose based on population density and trade because of surplus corn crops.

Distinctive traits

When fully ripe, dent corn has a pronounced depression or dent at the crown of each kernel. Flint corn kernels lack these depressions.

Because flint corn has a very low water content it is more resistant to freezing than other vegetables. It was the only Vermont crop to survive New England infamous "Year Without a Summer" of 1816.

Coloration

The coloration of flint corn is often different from white and yellow dent corns, many of which were bred later. Most flint corn is multi-colored. Like the Linnaeus variant of maize, any kernel may contain the yellow pigment zeaxanthin but at more varying concentrations.

Uses

Popcorn (Zea mays everta, "corn turned inside out") is considered a variant of this type. It has a hard, slightly translucent kernel.

Flint corn is also the type of corn preferred for making hominy, a staple food in the Americas since pre-Columbian times.

The flint corn cultivars that have large proportions of kernels with hues outside the yellow range are primarily used ornamentally, notably as part of Thanksgiving decorations in the United States. They are often called either "ornamental corn" or "Indian corn", although each of those names has other meanings as well. These varieties can also be popped and eaten as pop corn.

References

1. ^ jugalbandi.info. Indian Corn
2. ^ "Seeds of Change Garden . www.mnh.si.edu. Archived from the original on July 22, 2009. Retrieved 2010-03-17.
3. ^ nmsu.edu. Blue Corn Unique to American Southwest
4. ^ ", Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 1965; reprint 1977, pp. 4–8, accessed 16 Dec 2009
5. ^ slowfoodusa.org Roy's Calais flint corn. Retrieved August 2011
6. ^ wonderquest.com Indian corn
7. ^ mnh.si.edu What kinds of corn are there?
8. ^ New Oxford American Dictionary

- Wikipedia 

CORN ETHANOL

Corn ethanol is ethanolroduced from corn that is used as a biomass Corn ethanol is produced by means of ethanol fermentation and distillation.

Corn is the main feedstock used for producing ethanol fuel in the United States.

Corn ethanol is mainly used as an oxygenate in gasoline to produce a low-level blend. To a lesser extent, it is used as fuel for E85 flex-fuel vehicles.

Corn is the main feedstock used for producing ethanol fuel in the United States.

An ethanol fuel plant in West Burlington, Iowa.

Production Procss

There are two main types of corn ethanol production: dry milling and wet milling. The products of each type are utilized in different ways.

In the dry milling process the entire corn kernel is ground into flour and referred to as "meal." The meal is then slurried by adding water. Enzymes are added to the mash that convert starch to dextrose, a simple sugar. Ammonia is added to control the pH and as a nutrient for the yeast, which is added later. The mixture is processed at high-temperatures to reduce the bacteria levels and transferred and cooled in fermenters. This is where the yeast is added and conversion from sugar to ethanol and carbon dioxide begins.

The entire process takes between 40 to 50 hours, during which time the mash is kept cool and agitated in order to facilitate yeast activity. After the process is complete, everything is transferred to distillation columns where the ethanol is removed from the "stillage". The ethanol is dehydrated to about 200 proof using a molecular sieve system and a denaturant such as gasoline is added to render the product undrinkable. With this last addition, the process is complete and the product is ready to ship to gasoline retailers or terminals. The remaining stillage then undergoes a different process to produce a highly nutritious livestock feed. The carbon dioxide released from the process is also utilized to carbonate beverages and to aid in the manufacturing of dry ice.

The process of wet milling takes the corn grain and steeps it in a dilute combination of sulfuric acid and water for 24 to 48 hours in order to separate the grain into many components. The slurry mix then goes through a series of grinders to separate out the corn germ. Corn oil is a by-product of this process and is extracted and sold. The remaining components of fiber, gluten and starch are segregated out using screen, hydroclonic and centrifugal separators.

The gluten protein is dried and filtered to make a corn gluten- meals co-product and is highly sought after by poultry broiler operators as a feed ingredient. The steeping liquor produced is concentrated and dried with the fiber and sold as corn gluten feed to in the livestock industry. The heavy steep water is also sold as a feed ingredient and is used as an environmentally friendly alternative to salt in the winter months. The corn starch and remaining water can then be processed one of three ways: 1) fermented into ethanol, through a similar process as dry milling, 2) dried and sold as modified corn starch, or 3) made into corn syrup.

The production of corn ethanol uses water in two ways – irrigation and processing. There are two types of ethanol processing, wet milling and dry milling, and the central difference between the two processes is how they initially treat the grain. In wet milling, the corn grain is steeped in water, and then separated for processing in the first step. Dry milling, which is more common, requires a different process. According to a report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, "Over 80% of U.S. ethanol is produced from corn by the dry grind process.". The dry grind process proceeds as follows:

"Corn grain is milled, then slurried with water to create 'mash.' Enzymes are added to the mash and this mixture is then cooked to hydrolyze the starch into glucose sugars. Yeast ferment these sugars into ethanol and carbon dioxide and the ethanol is purified through a combination of distillation and molecular sieve dehydration to create fuel ethanol. The byproduct of this process is known as distiller's dried grains and solubles (DDGS) and is used wet or dry as animal feed."

Environmental and social issues

Since most U.S. ethanol is produced from corn and the required electricity from many distilleries comes mainly from coal, plants, there has been considerable debate on the sustainability of corn-based bio-ethanol in replacing fossil fuels. Controversy and concerns relate to the large amount of arable land required for crops and its impact on grain supply, direct and indirect land use change effects, as well as issues regarding its energy balance-and carbon intensity considering the full life cycle of ethanol production, and also issues regarding water use and pollution due to the increase expansion of ethanol production.

The initial assumption that biofuels were good for the environment because they had a smaller carbon footprint is in debate over the contention that the production of grain alcohol, and therefore E85, may actually have a greater environmental impact than fossil fuel.

That view says that one must consider:

• The impact of fertilizers and carbon requiring inputs vs carbon offsetting byproducts like distillers grain
• The carbon footprint of the agricultural machinery run to plant, harvest and apply chemicals.
• The environmental impact of those chemicals themselves, including fertilizers and pesticides necessary for efficient mass-production of the grains used.
• The larger amount of energy required to ship and process the grains and turn them into alcohol, versus the more efficient process of converting oil into gasoline or diesel.
• Even resources such as water, needed in huge amounts for grain production, can have serious environmental impact, including ground water depletion, pollution runoff, and algae blooms from waste runoff.

The U.S. Department of Energy has published facts stating that current corn-based ethanol results in a 19% reduction in greenhouse gases, and is better for the environment than other gasoline additives such as MTBE.

Ethanol produced today results in fewer greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions than gasoline and is fully biodegradable, unlike some fuel additives.

• Today, on a life cycle basis, ethanol produced from corn results in about a 20 percent reduction in GHG emissions relative to gasoline. With improved efficiency and use of renewable energy, this reduction could be as much as 52 percent.
• In the future, ethanol produced from cellulose has the potential to cut life cycle GHG emissions by up to 86 percent relative to gasoline.
• Ethanol blended fuels currently in the market – whether E10 or E85 – meet stringent tailpipe emission standards.
• Ethanol readily biodegrades without harm to the environment, and is a safe, high-performance replacement for fuel additives such as MTBE.

Others say that ethanol from corn, as a fuel available now, and cellulosic ethanol in the future, are both much better fuels for the environment. Ethanol derived from sugar-beet as used in Europe or sugar-cane as grown in Brazil in industrial scale is generally seen as having a very positive CO₂ balance with up to 80% reduction in well-to-wheel CO₂.

A University of Nebraska study in 2009 showed corn ethanol directly emits 51% less greenhouse gas than gasoline. However this study does not take into account the greenhouse gasses involved in production and transportation

Economic Impact of Corn Ethanol

The use of ethanol for fuel has had a damaging impact on food markets, especially in poorer countries. In the United States, ethanol is mostly made from yellow corn, and as the market boomed for alternative fuel, yellow corn went up in price. Many farmers saw the potential to make more money, and switched from white corn to yellow corn. White corn is the main ingredient of tortillas in Mexico, and as the supply dropped, the price doubled, making the base of most Mexican foods unaffordable. Many people, see this as unacceptable, and want no overlap between food crops and fuel crops.mOthers point out that the earth is thought to be able to support double the current human population, and press that the resources available, such as unused farmable land, should be better handled.

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), the ethanol industry's lobby group, claims that ethanol production does increase the price of corn by increasing demand. RFA claims that ethanol production has positive economic effect for US farmers, but it does not elaborate on the effect for other populations where field corn is part of the staple diet. An RFA lobby document states that "In a January 2007 statement, the USDA Chief Economist stated that farm program payments were expected to be reduced by some $6 billion due to the higher value of a bushel of corn.

Corn production in 2009 reached over 13.2 billion bushels, and a per acre yield jumped to over 165 bushels per acre.

On March 9, 2011, senator Dianne Feinstein from California introduced a bill that repealed the corn subsidies in the U.S. She is quoted, telling Congress "Ethanol is the only industry that benefits from a triple crown of government intervention: its use is mandated by law, it is protected by tariffs, and companies are paid by the federal government to use it. It's time we end this practice once and for all".

Alternatives to corn as a feedstock

Remnants from food production such as corn stover could be used to produce ethanol instead of food corn. The use of cellulosic biomass to produce ethanol is a new trend in biofuel production. Fuels from these products are considered second generation biofuels and are considered by some to be a solution to the food verses fuel debate. The possibility of using this material has been acknowledged by the scientific community and the political community as well.

References

1. ^ "Ethanol Market Penetration".  Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center, US DOE. Retrieved 2006-06-25.
2. ^ Goettemoeller, Jeffrey; Adrian Goettemoeller (2007). Sustainable Ethanol: Biofuels, Biorefineries, Cellulosic Biomass, Flex-Fuel Vehicles, and Sustainable Farming for Energy Independence. Prairie Oak Publishing, Maryville, Missouri. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-9786293-0-4.
3. ^ Ethanol Production and Distribution, Alternative Fuels Data Center, US Dept of Energy <http://www.afdc.energy.gov/fuels/ethanol_production.html>.
4. ^ "Biofuels: The Promise and the Risks, in World Development Report 2008" (PDF). The World Bank. 2008. pp. 70–71. Retrieved 2008-05-04.
5. ^ Timothy Searchinger; et al. (29 February 2008). "Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land-Use Change". Science 319(5867): 1238–1240. doi:10.1126/science.1151861. PMID 18258860. Retrieved 2008-05-09. Originally published online in Science Express on 7 February 2008. See Letters to Science by Wang and Haq. There are critics to these findings for assuming a worst-case scenario.
6. ^ "Another Inconvenient Truth" (PDF). Oxfam. 28 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-06.Oxfam Briefing Paper 114, figure 2 pp.8
7. ^ Fargione; Hill, J.; Tilman, D.; Polasky, S.; Hawthorne, P.; et al. (29 February 2008). "Land Clearing and the Biofuel Carbon Debt" . Science 319 (5867): 1235–1238. doi:10.1126/science.1152747. PMID 18258862.  Retrieved 2008-08-06. Originally published online in Science Express on 7 February 2008. There are rebuttals to these findings for assuming a worst-case scenario.
8. ^ "Proposed Regulation to Implement the Low Carbon Fuel Standard. Volume I: Staff ReportInitial Statement of Reasons":  (PDF). California Air Resources Board. 5 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-26.
9. ^ Youngquist, W. Geodestinies, National Book company, Portland, OR, 499p.
10. ^ The dirty truth about biofuels.
11. ^ Deforestation diesel – the madness of biofuel

External Links

• Better Than Corn? Algae Set to Beat Out Other Biofuel Feedstocks (Worldwatch Institute).
• The End of Cheap Food. (Cover Story). 2007 Economist 385(8558):11-12.
• Energy Policy Act of 2005. 2005 Public Law 109-58.
• Pimentel, David. 2009 Corn Ethanol as Energy. Harvard International Review 31(2):50-52.
• Scully, Vaughan. 2007 Effects of the Biofuel Boom. BusinessWeek Online:26-26.
• Waltz, Emily. 2008 Cellulosic Ethanol Booms Despite Unproven Business Models. Nature Biotechnology 26(1):8-9.

- Wikipedia 

Groceries List for Diabetics

plan ahead before you shop to make the right choices Photo Credit boggy22/iStock/Getty Images

Diabetes affects the way the body metabolizes glucose. Grocery shopping can help you make healthy food choices on a diabetic diet. The National Diabetes Education Program recommends making a grocery list and planning ahead of time to take charge of what you eat.

The Carbohydrate Factor

whole grain breads are better than white Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images

The American Diabetes Association recommends that adults with diabetes consume about 45 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per meal, which adds up to 135 to 180 grams of carbohydrates per day. As a diabetic, you have to watch the types of foods you add to your grocery list. For example, complex carbohydrates -- legumes, starchy vegetables, whole-grain breads and cereals -- are all good carbohydrate choices for your shopping basket. If you are buying packaged foods, choose foods with less added sugars. Additionally, pick foods lower in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol and salt.

Choose Vegetables and Fruits

choose fresh fruits and vegetables rather than canned Photo Credit Baloncici/iStock/Getty Images

Vegetables and fruits are great choices for a diabetic grocery list. Add in-season dark leafy green vegetables such as broccoli, kale, collards and spinach, and orange vegetables such as carrots, yellow peppers and squash. If you are buying canned or packaged veggies, choose products that do not have added salt, butter or sauces. While fruit is a healthy component of a diabetic diet, eat it in moderation because the sugar content can raise blood glucose levels. One small piece of whole fruit -- 1/2 cup of frozen or canned fruit -- contains roughly 15 grams of carbohydrate. Choose fruits fresh, frozen or canned without added sugars.

Whole Grains, Healthy Fats and Lean Protein

avocados are a source of polyunsaturated fats Photo Credit olgakr/iStock/Getty Images

Instead of refined grains, which may raise your blood glucose levels quickly, choose whole-grain products. Add foods like whole-wheat bread, brown rice, quinoa, oatmeal and barley to your grocery list. When it comes to fats, choose foods that contain monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat and omega-3 fatty acids. Examples include avocado; oils like canola, cottonseed, safflower, soybean and sunflower; nuts like almonds, cashews, walnuts, pecans and peanuts; olive oil and olives; peanut butter and peanut oil; sesame seeds; fish like albacore tuna, herring, mackerel, rainbow trout, sardines and salmon; and tofu. Lastly, pick cuts of meats and meat alternatives that are low in saturated fat and calories. Think beans, fish and seafood, chicken, turkey and pork.

Other Considerations

choose low-fat or skim milk Photo Credit Danilin/iStock/Getty Images

Remember to look for foods that are rich in calcium but low in fat. For example, pick low-fat or skim milk instead of whole milk. If you have lactose intolerance, swap regular milk for lactose-free milk, soy milk or almond milk. Additionally, the National Diabetes Education Program recommends that you don't go shopping when you are hungry, to prevent buying unhealthy foods you don't need. For an individualized meal plan and grocery list, consult a registered dietitian.

www.livestrong.com

CORN PRODUCTION IN THE UNITED STATES

Corn production (also maize production) plays a major role in the economy of the United States. The country is one of the worldwide corn leaders with 96,000,000 acres (39,000,000 ha) of land reserved for corn production. Corn growth is dominated by west/north central Iowa and east central Illinois. The US is ranked first in the world in corn production, and 20% of its annual yield is exported.

Left: Worldwide corn production chart; Right: Iowa corn (2011).

Etymology

Corn primarily means maize in the United States and Canada; this terminology started as a shortening of "Indian corn". Indian corn primarily means maize (the staple grain of indigenous Americans), but can refer more specifically to multicolored "flint corn" used for decoration. However, outside North America, Australia and New Zealand corn means any cereal crop, its meaning varying geographically to refer to the local staple.

History

Corn is believed to have been introduced across what is now the United States-Mexico border a few thousand years ago. The original corn plant known as teosinte is still grown in Mexico and its size (ears of corn) has substantially increased due to efforts of American Indians and scientific research. It is now the third leading grain crop in the world.

Left: Illustration depicting both male and female flowers of maize; Right: Select corn production chart for 2010 by the United States Department of Agriculture.

By the time scientific assessment of conduciveness to grow corn in the United States was undertaken by Meriwether Lewis in 1804, the immigrant settlers had already spread its growth in many parts of the country due to its suitability to grow in varying climatic and soil conditions. Once the suitability of land in the central part of the country, the Midwestern United States, was scientifically established as fertile and rich by Lewis and Clark, the settlers moved to the area in large numbers and started growing corn in a big way, reaping large benefits. Over the centuries, the crop varieties underwent changes to get better yields while farming methods were improved. As a result the fertile belt soon came to be known as "the Corn Belt". Hybrid cropping techniques were widely practiced from the late 1880s, and the hybrid varieties developed with cross and re-cross breeding techniques developed by university research. This ushered a new age of agriculture. The 1% area devoted to hybrid varieties in 1934 rose to 78% in the 1940s and continued to rise thereafter. In the 1950s, Henry A. Wallace, former Vice President and former Secretary of Agriculture, and an early developer of hybrid seeds, observed that "the Corn Belt had developed into the most productive agricultural civilization the world has ever seen." This trend has continued and now the corn production level in American farms is a significant 20% higher per acre than in the rest of the world.

As the growth of corn has spread to extensive production in 14 states (though it is grown to a lesser extent in all the other US states), a coalition of farmers associations in all these states has been established. This association is known as the Corn Farmers Coalition, which is a union of the National Corn Growers Association and 14 state corn associations (including Iowa Corn).

Production

A 1918 US poster promoting corn.

The total production of corn in the US for the year 2013-14 is reported to be 13.016 billion bushels of which the major use is for manufacture of ethanol and its co-product (Distillers' Dried Grains with Solubles) accounting for 37% (27% + 10%) or 4,845 million bushels (3,552 + 1,293). The other uses are given in the table.

Uses of Corn/Maize
Type	Production (Million Bushels)	Percentage
Ethanol	3552	27
DDGS	1293	10
Other processing*	1420	11
Exports	1450	11
Residual use	1055	8
Dairy	823	6
Beef cattle	1213	9
Hogs	1004	8
Poultry	1205	9
Other animals	100	1
Total	13016	100
Million Bushels & Percenatge.

• 'Other processing' includes the production of High Fructose Corn Syrup, sweeteners, starch, beverage alcohol, and

cereals.

The final estimate of corn production for the years 1950 to 1959 in the United States is given as some three billion bushels and in recent years, some nine billion bushels are produced each year. Corn growth is dominated by west north central Iowa and east central Illinois. In 2011, the national average production was 147 bushels per acre, and reported to be 20 bushels per acre more than the yield in 2002. Based on a national contest in 2011 when an average of 300 bushels per acre was achieved others are sure to follow suit which result in a yield of 300 bushels per acre by 2030 from the same extent land holdings under corn.

Sweetcorn, yellow, raw
(seeds only)

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	360 kJ (86 kcal)
Carbohydrates	18.7 g
Starch	5.7 g
Sugars	6.26 g
Dietary fiber	2 g
Fat	1.35 g
Protein	3.27 g
Tryptophan	0.023 g
Threonine	0.129 g
Isoleucine	0.129 g
Leucine	0.348 g
Lysine	0.137 g
Methionine	0.067 g
Cystine	0.026 g
Phenylalanine	0.150 g
Tyrosine	0.123 g
Valine	0.185 g
Arginine	0.131 g
Histidine	0.089 g
Alanine	0.295 g
Aspartic acid	00.244 g
Glutamic acid	00.636 g
Glycine	0.127 g
Proline	00.292 g
Serine	00.153 g
Vitamins
Vitamin A equiv. lutein zeaxanthin	(1%) 9 μg 644 μg
Thiamine (B1)	(13%) 0.155 mg
Riboflavin (B2)	(5%) 0.055 mg
Niacin (B3)	(12%) 1.77 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)	(14%) 0.717 mg
Vitamin B6	(7%) 0.093 mg
Folate (B9)	(11%) 42 μg
Vitamin C	(8%) 6.8 mg
Minerals
Iron	(4%) 0.52 mg
Magnesium	(10%) 37 mg
Manganese	(8%) 0.163 mg
Phosphorus	(13%) 89 mg
Potassium	(6%) 270 mg
Zinc	(5%) 0.46 mg
Other constituents
Water	75.96 g
Link to USDA Database entry One ear of medium size (6-3/4" to 7-1/2" long) maize has 90 grams of seeds
Units μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams IU = International units
Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database

Ethanol

Two types of ethanol are produced mostly (98%) from corn and other plants such as sorghum. The waste product of about 33% is used as livestock feed. Ethanol is blended with gasoline to produce E10 and E85 fuels for automobile vehicles. Its manufacture has created 400,000 jobs in the US and its environmental friendliness is recorded in the form of reduced gas emissions of 25.3 million metric tons. One bushel of corn can produce 2.8 gallons of ethanol, 17.5 lbs of livestock feed and 18 lbs of carbon dioxide.

It is also reported that every acre of corn results ultimately in reducing 8 tonnes (7.9 long tons; 8.8 short tons) of greenhouse gas emission. On account of great demand for ethanol corn is fetching higher prices. This has resulted in farmers increasing acreage under corn by adopting crop rotations between corn and soybeans; the latter crop's production has thus declined. Further more acreage under corn has also been allowed to be increased under the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 overriding the act of 1983, which had been fixed at 60,200,000 hectares (149,000,000 acres).

Agriculture

There are 80,000,000 acres (32,000,000 ha) of land dedicated exclusively to corn cultivation in the United States. This would cover the entire country of Germany. The United States is the world's leading producer of corn, having produced 333,010,910 tonnes (327,751,510 long tons; 367,081,690 short tons) of the crop in the year 2009.

95% of US corn farms are family-owned. Highest yield of over 12 billion bushels have been recorded up to 2011 with 12.4 billion bushels reported in 2011 with yields of more than 140 bushels per acre. A milestone in production in the US is that the farmers take out 20% more corn per acre than in any other part of the world. Farming practice is based on irrigation only in about 11% area while the balance area is under un-irrigated conditions. The farm practices have also resulted in implementing conservation measures which have reduced soil erosion to the extent of 44%. Out of 316,000 corn farms about 300,000 farms (95% of them) are owned by families. There are more than 30% of corn farms which are operated by women.

Value

US$267 is spent by the average American annually on corn. In 2015, one bushel of corn costs $3.50. The value of each and every corn farm varies from location to location, depending on the amount of bushels produced and the quality of corn. Other factors such as the weather or economic crises may cause corn prices to fluctuate or to rise. Over the years, the value of corn, though, is only going upwards in essence, owing to the country's greater demand and reliance for corn. There have even been instances of corn robberies.

By State

Iowa corn picker (2011)

Corn dogs at the Olmsted County Fair, Minnesota (2006)

Lowa

Iowa, the largest producer of corn in the US, grows three times as much corn as Mexico. Iowa harvested 3,548 acres (1,436 ha) of sweet corn in 2007. In 2011, the state had 92,300 corn farms on 30,700,000 acres (12,400,000 ha), the average size being 333 acres (135 ha), and the average dollar value per acre being US$6,708. In the same year, there were 13.7 million harvested acres of corn for grain, producing 2.36 billion bushels, which yielded 172.0 bu/acre, with US$14.5 billion of corn value of production. Almost 1.88 billion bushels of corn were grown in the state in 2012 on 13.7 million acres of land, while the 2013 projections are 2.45 billion bushels of corn on 13.97 million acres of land.

Nebraska

Nebraska is known as the “Cornhusker State” – and is the third largest corn-producing state in the United States.

Minnesota

Corn is Minnesota's largest crop. In 1922-31, production averaged 30.4 bushels per acre; in 1947-56, it average 46.6 bushels per acre; in 1973, it averaged 91.4 bushels per acre; and in 1994, the average was 142 bushels per acre. In 1935-46, a shift to hybrid varieties occurred. In 2010, the state produced 1.29 billion bushels. In 2012, Minnesota's farmers produced the largest corn crop in the state's history, at 1.37 billion bushels harvested, equaling 165 bushels per acre, on 250,000 acres.

Illinois

Corn fields near Royal, Illinois.

The first corn varieties grown in Illinois were those obtained from local Indians or varieties brought to Illinois from the New England states. After the Civil War, varieties were developed which were adapted to the state's soils and climate, such as Reid's Yellow Dent. During the period of 1900-05, there were 10,500,000 acres planted, with a decline to 8,862,000 acres in 1925-30. In 2012, Illinois sowed 12.8 million acres of corn in 2012, ranking fourth in corn production, behind Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska. The state averaged 105 bushels per acre in 2012, down from 157-bushel per acre in 2010 and 2011.

Alaska

Although the state of Alaska has a cold temperate, some Alaskan farmers still manage to grow corn, through means such as greenhouse farming. Corn is popular among Alaskans.

Indiana

Corn is a popular crop in the state of Indiana; it is mostly grown as animal feed. Indiana is located in the United States' Corn Belt.

Texas

The state of Texas is a great producer of corn; the final estimate of corn produced in 2010 was some 301 million bushels on 2,300,000 acres (930,000 ha) of land, totaling to $1.2 billion of crop.

Alabama

Corn was introduced to Alabama in around the eighteenth century; there have been traces of corn found in Nuyuka's Upper Creek village which dates back to the period.

References

1. ^ ^a b "Corn, background". USDA Economic Research Service. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
2. ^ ^a b c "Corn. Oxford English Dictionary. 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
3. ^ Boberg, Charles (2010). The English Language in Canada: Status, History and Comparative Analysis. Cambridge University Press. p. 109. ISBN 113949144X.
4. ^ "Indian corn". Merriam-Webster Dictionary, definition 3. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
5. ^ Ensminger, Audrey H. (1994). Foods and Nutrition Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. CRC Press. pp. 479–. ISBN 0849389801. The word "maize" is preferred in international usage because in many countries the term "corn", the name by which the plant is known in the United States, is synonymous with the leading cereal grain
6. ^ ^a b Smith, C. Wayne (2004). Corn: Origin, History, Technology, and Production. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 134–. ISBN 9780471411840.
7. ^ "FAQ". Iowa Corn organization. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
8. ^ ^a b "Family corn farmers: American ingenuity" (pdf). Corn Farmers Coalition Organization. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
9. ^ "Corn Farmers Coalition: Fact Book. Corn Farmers Coalition Organization. Retrieved 3 June 2013.
10. ^ ^a b c "Production and Use". Iowa Corn organization. Retrieved 6 March 2014.
11. ^ Elliott, Foster Floyd (1933). Fifteenth census of the United States. Census of agriculture. Types of farming in the United States. United States Government Printing Office. pp. 47–.

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