In those plump yellow kernels, there is energy, sustenance, and innovation. Did you know that most of the corn you see growing by the side of the road is destined to be cattle and poultry feed? Of all the corn that’s grown in Colorado, only 1% is what’s known as ‘sweet corn’ and is human edible.
The rest, 99%, is corn for grain and is used for livestock feed, vehicle fuel and industrial applications. Corn is also used for biofuel, lessening our dependence on foreign oil. And it’s a fuel crop that’s re-plantable!
The ingenuity of human beings is remarkable.
To take a little yellow bead of a fruit and make it so indispensable in our daily lives – as feed, as fuel, as food and as an industrial ingredient is truly amazing. Products made from corn are numerous and so essential!
Oh, and that special 1% – sweet corn? We love it and consider it well worth growing. Sweet corn is an important element of cooking recipes the world over (did we mention ‘gluten-free’?) … or you can eat it hot right off the cob. Yum.
Curious about the process that turns grain corn into ethanol?
Tour an Ethanol Plant. From field to tank, we invite you to ‘join us’ on this tour.
Frequently we go into classrooms to give students an appreciation for the amazing plant that is corn. We explain with visuals how a corn stalk grows from seed to harvest and what the practices of a modern farmer are today. The purposes of corn are also explored.
Our education efforts go towards several constituencies, from the general public to lawmakers to the media. But none is of more importance than educating the next generation. Youth-focused programs, then, are central to our educational mission, which includes contributing funds to 4-H and FFA.
Speaking to urban youth, who haven’t even been on a farm, is also rewarding and heightens their appreciation of agriculture and the production of corn. Places we typically exhibit include the Aspire to Grow Conference, targeting young women and the Children’s’ Water Festival in Greeley, which speaks directly to students in the 4th grade. We also talk to K-12 teachers in the state, via the Summer Ag Institute’s 5-day course where we completely cover the tuition of two educators at the event.
There are many compelling reasons to educate students in Colorado about corn. In understanding the life cycle and the plant science of corn, they come to awaken to the potential of the crop – not only for variety and nutrition on their dinner table, but also for feeding cattle and poultry and for being the surprising key element of a number of innovative industrial and household products. This teaches students not to take any crop for granted and to see how many different ways that nature’s gifts can be put to good use.
The number of products made from corn is absolutely astounding. Corn is in crayons, tire molds, plastic parts, drywall, drilling fluids, textile finishing and even cosmetics and hand soap.
More than 90% of field corn grown in Colorado is used to FEED farm animals such as beef and dairy cows, pigs, and chickens.
Getting from point A to point B sometimes takes a little C (Corn, that is). Ethanol is a high-octane, clean burning, corn-based fuel blended into 97% of the U.S. gas supply.
Americans eat more than 4 billion TACOS every year, many of which are wrapped in corn tortilla shells.
TIRES are what keep businesses moving. Cornstarch is added to tire molds before pouring the rubber to prevent sticking.
