What is baby corn?

What's the difference between popcorn and other corn varieties?

How many kernels in a bushel of corn?

Where is the Corn Belt?

What's the largest grain crop?

Where's the greatest export growth potential?

Other than corn on the cob, how is corn used?

What does corn have to do with soft drinks?

How is corn used in paper?

Where is corn grown?

What's the primary use for corn?

How many uses are there for corn?

What is CMA and how is it used?

What is sweet corn?

What's the difference between sweet corn and field corn?

How many kinds of sweet corn are there?

How do you grow sweet corn?

How much sweet corn is grown in the United States?

A. Baby corn is almost always sweet corn, harvested just as it has begun to develop. Primarily used in Asian cuisine, Thailand dominates world trade in both fresh and canned product.

For more information on baby corn visit
http://www.milcom.com/rap/mps/babycorn.html

A. The composition of the kernel distinguishes popcorn from the other varieties. Corn in general is comprised of carbohydrated (mainly starch), protein, fat and water. Water is stored in a small circle of soft starch in each kernel. As the kernel is heated, the water heats, builds up pressure and takes up any available room. The harder surface surrounding the starch resists the water pressure for as long as it can until the outer surface gives way and the water explodes into the fluffy white snack we all love.

For more information of popcorn, contact: The Popcorn Institutue

A. An ear of corn averages 800 kernels in 16 rows. A pound of corn consists of approximately 1,300 kernels. An acre of corn yielding 100 bushels produces approximately 7,280,000 kernels.

A. Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and Minnesota account for over 50 percent of the corn grown in the U.S. Other major growing states are Indiana, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Michigan, Missouri, Kansas, Ohio and Kentucky. This area is known as the "Corn Belt."

A. In the U.S., the number of bushels of corn produced measures more than double that of any other grain crop. And U.S. researchers have led the way in finding many uses for corn like vitamins and amino acids.

A. 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.

A. One hundred years ago, starch was basically the only product coming from corn refining - the rest of the kernel was thrown away. Today, there are uses for every part of the kernel and even the water it's processed in. Examples of industrial uses of corn: 1) a substitute for phosphate, corn-derived citric acid increases the cleaning power and decreases the volume of laundry detergents needed... 2)several companies offer "packing peanuts" made of nearly 100 percent corn. 3) corn-based ink is now replacing printer's ink that was made from 100 percent petroleum products. This product makes it safe for placemats and packaging where ink may come in contact with food...4) Hydrosorb, a super absorbent cornstarch, was discovered in one of USDA's regional laboratories. It absorbs 300 times its weight and is used in some baby diapers and automobile fuel filters.

A. Corn has become America's favorite sweetener, capturing more than 50 percent of the nutritive (non-diet) sweetener market. Every major non-diet soft drink on the market uses high fructose corn syrup as a sweetener. Many powdered drinks, like lemonades and fruit drinks, use crystalline fructose made from corn.

A. Nearly every single sheet of printing paper uses cornstarch to improve printability. It is also used in the production of paper packaging materials such as corrugated cardboard. Each ton of paper produced uses 28 pounds of cornstarch.

A. Farmers grow corn on every continent, except Antarctica. Hybrid varieties of corn have been developed to adapt to specific growing condition and locations worldwide.

A. Corn serves as a primary livestock feed source. More than half of the crop puts meat on America's dinner table. A bushel of corn fed to livestock produces 5.6 pounds of retail beef, 13 pounds of retail pork, 19.6 pounds of chicken or 28 pounds of catfish.

A. There are more than 3,500 different uses for corn products and more uses are being found each day. Many of the new products, like paints, are more environmentally friendly than their petroleum counterparts.

A. Calcium magnesium acetate or CMA is a non-corrosive road de-icer made from either petroleum or corn. CMA does not contain sodium or chloride so it is safe in watersheds and agricultural areas and will not damage roads and bridges. Acetates can also be used as a runway de-icer at airports.

A. Sweet corn is the type of corn you're most likely to grow in your garden. Corn-on-the cob, canned corn and frozen corn all come from sweet corn.

A. Corn-on-the-cob and canned or frozen corn at the grocery store come from sweet corn. The corn you grow in your garden also is a variety of sweet corn. But the most abundant type of corn grown in the United States is actually field, or dent, corn. Almost all of the corn you see in farm fields is dent corn.

Unlike sweet corn, dent corn has a hard outer portion about the thickness of your fingernail. The inner portion of the corn kernel is soft and floury. Dent corn is used to make starches, oils, livestock feed, ethanol fuel and many other products like crayons, paints and paper. Dent corn also is used to make corn syrup sweeteners and other ingredients that appear in all kinds of foods from soft drinks to baked goods.

A. There are literally dozens of different kinds of sweet corn that you can grow. Try some of these sites to learn about varieties that perform well in your region of the country.

http://uaexsun.uaex.arknet.edu/Vegfacs/corn.html

http://www.co.utah.ut.us/usuext/hort/swcornfd.htm

http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/envirohort/426-405/426-405.html

http://cahe.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/h-223.html

http://www.chestnut-sw.com/seeds/vegseed/corn.htm

http://www.growmark.com/info.cropseed/news/96011.html

A. Sweet corn is easy to grow and does well in many areas of the United States. Sweet corn takes anywhere from 55 to 95 days to be ready for harvest, depending on the variety and where you live. If you live in a northern area with a short growing season, look for a variety that reaches maturity early. Sweet corn requires warm soil for germination (above 55 degrees F. for standard sweet corn varieties). Plant seeds one inch deep, 10 to 12 inches apart in a row. You'll need to plant two or more rows of each variety so that the corn can pollinate and develop ears.

For specific instructions, check out these web sites:

http://uaexsun.uaex.arknet.edu/Vegfacs/corn.html

http://www.territorial-seed.com/corn.html

http://www.chestnut-sw.com/seeds/vegseed/corn.html

A. In 1996, U.S. sweet corn growers harvested about 119,400 acres of sweet corn. Growers raised 117,900 acres of sweet corn in 1995 and 123,400 acres in 1994. By comparison, the amount of land dedicated to dent corn production is much larger. U.S. corn growers plant about 71 million acres of field corn each year. For the latest United States Department of Agriculture figures on sweet corn production visit http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu…pvg-bb/1996/vegetables.

For more corn statistics visit The World of Corn.

Last reviewed May 7, 2004