CORN

Corn is grown in many states, but production is heavily concentrated in the U.S. Midwest – Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska are the top producing states. The U.S. is the largest global producer and exporter, so the crop contributes in a significant way to America's economy.

 

Feed, Food, and Fuel

The biggest proportion of the U.S. corn crop is used to produce livestock feed and ethanol, an additive in gasoline that helps fuel our vehicles and increase U.S. energy independence. Together, livestock feed and ethanol use account for about 75% of the U.S. corn crop. The remainder is exported, or used in hundreds of different food and industrial products widely known in the U.S.

 

The two main types of corn grown in the U.S. are sweet corn and field corn. Sweet corn is what people eat straight off the cob, while dried field corn is often exported or used in livestock feed, ethanol, and many industrial products like the polymers for bioplastics.