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Many Uses for Corn

Corn is not just something humans can eat. It can also be used for fuel, animal feed, and other products.

For example, in 2015, American corn farmers harvested 13.7 billion bushels of field corn. That corn was used for:

  • Feed:
    • Primarily used as livestock feed for beef, pork, and poultry.
  • Ethanol:
    • One bushel of corn (56 pounds) provides 2.8 gallons of ethanol AND 17.5 lbs. of dried distillers grains, which are a high-protein livestock feed.
  • Exports to other countries:
    • Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Egypt, and Taiwan are the top five customers for U.S. corn. Can you find these countries on a map? Use the map below, or one in your classroom to find the countries.
  • Other food, seed, and consumer-product uses:
    • Field corn is used in over 4,000 consumer products like diapers, tires, toothpaste, shampoo, and crayons!
worldmap