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Corn Production

Production

What happens to all that corn grown by Iowa farmers? Much of it becomes livestock feed and ethanol fuel, or is exported as value-added products.

But that’s not all. Corn is in almost everything!


4 Sides to Every Kernel

The kernel is made up of four major components – starch, fiber, protein and oil – that can be processed in different ways to be used in all kinds of products.

In fact, a typical grocery store contains 4,000 items that list corn ingredients on the label.

Many other products depend on corn as well, from paper goods and cardboard packaging, to all the meat, milk, eggs, poultry and other protein products that come from corn-fed animals.


Ethanol + Livestock Feed

Corn takes many forms and gets used in remarkable ways most folks would never imagine. Thousands of products are made from corn ingredients, like ethanol! What’s even better, distillers dried grain with solubles (DDGS) is a co-product from the production of ethanol serve as a premium source of protein for livestock. Corn-based ethanol can be made through either a dry or wet milling process. In either case, about one-third of the grain ends up as livestock feed.
 


Source: USDA



 

 

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