Fun Facts About Corn

Fun Facts About Corn

1. Farmers grow corn on every continent except Antarctica.

2. One bushel of corn will sweeten more than 400 cans of Coca-Cola.

3. There are about 800 kernels in 16 rows on each ear of corn.

4. The corncob (ear) is actually part of the corn plant’s flower.

5. The main ingredient in most dry pet food is corn.

6. Corn is America's number one field crop. Corn leads all other crops in value and volume of production.

7. A pound of corn consists of approximately 1,300 kernels.

8. Corn is used to produce fuel alcohol. Fuel alcohol makes gasoline burn cleaner, reducing air pollution, and it doesn't pollute the water.

9. Most of the corn grown in the United States is used to feed cattle, hogs, sheep, and poultry.

10. Corn is used in processed foods and industrial products, such as cornstarch and plastics.

A Kernel of Corn History

Ears of corn have been found in caves in Mexico that date back seven to eight thousand years.

By the time Christopher Columbus reached the New World, corn grew from Southern Canada to the Andes Mountains in South America.

The Native Americans gave corn to Christopher Columbus, who brought it back to Spain. Once in Europe, corn spread quickly throughout the world.

The Indians taught American settlers how to cultivate corn and use the alkali from wood ash to turn it into hominy. The hominy was cooked, broken into grits, or ground into meal for making porridge, cake, and bread.

The Mojave Indians of Colorado and California were farmers who grew and harvested corn.