Click here for last weeks Feature: Wisconsin's Fall Colors
WCWCW Feature of the Week
This page will display either a selected web site from our users or a photo or other graphic display from our area.
--to submit material click below--
or email
or send to WCWCW 21401 Krypton Rd., Kendall,WI 54638
Enjoy our Community!
Corn
Everything you ever wanted to know about Corn, but were afraid to ask.
It is the time of the year that the corn stands hardening in the fields, slowly drying in the autumn sun. Turned brown from the summers brilliant green, Corn is a major crop in both Wisconsin and the United States. We thought we would take this time to look at some of the more interesting facts about corn and present it with a very fall-like pictorial of Corn in Wisconsin.
Corn, squash and beans were once known as the “Three Sisters” by our native peoples - sisters who should never be apart - sisters who should be planted together. These three plants were important sources of food. In fact, corn was very important to the survival of the first English colonists during their first winters in North-eastern America. The survival of the early colonists depended on what corn they could beg, borrow or steal from the native peoples plus what they were able to grow under their guidance.
It is believed that corn dates back even further than the inhabitance of native people. Corn’s origin is believed to be in the Mexican plateau or the highlands of Guatemala. Fossil pollen grains of corn have been found in drill cores of lake sediment beneath Mexico City. These sediments could be 80,000 years old or more.
Corn is the major feed grain grown by farmers in the U.S., leading all other crops in value and volume of production. Corn is also a major component in many food items like cereals, peanut butter and snack foods. 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 double that of any other crop. And U.S. researchers have led the way in finding many uses for corn - like in vitamins and amino acids.
In Wisconsin--
To feed our cattle, we grow more corn silage for forage than any other state. Farmers harvest 333 million bushels of corn as grain, which is more than 17 pounds of corn per day for every Wisconsin resident. Snacks, dog food, candy, cosmetics, bakery, cereal, oil, fuel, and pharmaceuticals are all products derived from corn.
Corn: 407 million bushel (rank: 7th)
Corn - $523 million
Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and Minnesota account for over 50 percent of the corn grown in the U.S. Other major growing states are Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas and Kentucky. This area is known as the "Corn Belt".
Corn is produced on every continent of the world with the exception of Antarctica.
One yellow dent corn kernel is made up of 61.0% starch, 19.2% protein and fiber, 3.8% oil, and 16.0% water. These ratios vary depending on the type of corn.
A typical bushel of corn weighs 56 pounds and contains about 73,000 kernels of corn.
One bushel of corn provides:
32 pounds of starch
or
33 pounds of sweetener
or
2.5 gallons of fuel ethanol
plus
11.4 pounds gluten feed (20% protein) and 3 pounds of gluten meal (60% protein) and 1.6 pounds of corn oil.
