Who doesn’t love fresh corn on the cob on a warm sunny day? We like to think of it as a staple summer meal, and we hear that’s a popular opinion too. It makes us wonder how much corn is produced and transported per year to satisfy the cravings of so many. Thanks to our curiosity, we found the answer.
In 2020, over 15.2 billion brushels of corn were produced. To put this into perspective, one single brushel weighs about 56 pounds each. Multiply that by 15.2 billion, and we’ve got ourselves a whole lot of corn getting transported for us all to enjoy.
The top producer of corn in the United States by far is Iowa. In fact, it’s often referred to as “The Corn State.” In 2019, Iowa produced over 3 billion brushels of corn and harvested over 13.1 million acres, which accounted for one-fifth of the nationwide production. Fun fact – there are two types of corn produced. You know the kind we normally eat fresh, buy frozen, or in a can? That only represents 1% of the corn produced! The other 99% is called “field corn,” which is dried and harvested, and primarily used for livestock feed, ethanol production, and manufactured goods.
As a whole, the United States is a major player in the exportation of corn. 10-20% of its production is shipped to other countries, including Mexico, Japan, Colombia, and South Korea. Who knew?!
