| AUGUST 13, 2010 -- When you're eating your dinner, do you ever wonder about the farmers who made your meal possible? Wonder no more. The Corn Fact Book, a publication created by the Corn Farmers Coalition and supported by corn checkoff programs in 14 states, is chock full of interesting nuggets about the technology and innovation that goes into growing our food.
The fact book was originally designed for distribution in Washington, D.C. as part of their active advertising campaign designed to educate policy makers about where our food comes from. It is now available to consumers.
"This publication is full of interesting facts on the technology and innovation that allow us to grow corn for food, feed, and fuel but it also tells the story of who grows corn today," said Keith Hora, a Washington, Iowa farmer featured in the Corn Fact Book. "It also explains how farmers in the US have become the most productive in the world, and the economic benefits farmers and the general public receive as a result of our efforts. It truly is an American success story."
Here are some of the cool factoids you'll read about in the publication. Seven of the largest corn crops in U.S. history have happened over the past seven years, despite challenging weather. Even cooler - these feats were accomplished using less land than the year before.
"We're more efficient that ever," said Jon Holzfaster, a Paxton, Neb. grower featured in the Fact Book. "We're using less fuel and traveling across the land fewer times. We have better genetics to help us optimize yields from existing acres and our use of chemicals has decreased dramatically. In this respect, the good old days are actually happening right now."
Another cool fact: 90 percent of all U.S. corn is still grown by family farmers.
For those who are interested in the environmental footprint of corn production, 37 percent less land is needed to produce a bushel of corn, soil erosion is down 60 percent and emissions produced in growing and harvesting a bushel of corn has decreased by 30 percent.
You can download a copy of the Corn Fact Book here.
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