CORNAgMag_Layout 1 8/6/13 4:11 PM Page 1
Faces of Mississippi’s
corn INdustry
Erick Larson
What did you study in school? Math, science, and English were especially important for me to prepare for college and my career. In college, I earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Kansas State University. I also earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Nebraska. My degrees were in Agronomy, which includes the sciences related to crops (or plants) and soils. I also achieved a minor in Adult Education. It is important to know that you never stop learning, so it is important to be committed and improve your abilities every day. What types of skills do you need for your job? Dedication may be the most important attribute needed to be successful. Everyone has different skills, but if you achieve quality education, you will have an opportunity to work in a career suited for your skills. It is also very important to strengthen your communication skills, including writing and public speaking, but these skills are often taken for granted.
What types of skills do you need to be a corn grower? You just need to know how to grow things, and I’ve been farming for so long, I guess it just comes naturally to me now. You also must be willing to start earlier than with other crops. We plant corn around the first of March. In addition, you must like to irrigate a lot. Why type of equipment do you use to plant and harvest corn? We basically use the same type of equipment we use for other grain crops, but when we harvest corn, we use a special corn header. At harvest, the combine drives out into the corn field and pulls ears off the stalks. It separates the husks, kernels, and cobs, throws the cobs and husks out the back of the machine, and stores the kernels. When we have a full load, we dump the corn kernels into a grain cart and truck them to an elevator or grain bin. I grow half of my corn as dryland (non-irrigated) and half as irrigated, and I have had real good luck with this. Our average harvest is 180 bushels an acre. How do you market your corn? I haul my corn to a poultry feed mill in Philadelphia. Mississippi farmers can’t grow enough corn for our state’s poultry industry; corn must be trucked in from other states to meet the demand. Some of my corn goes to a grain elevator in Yazoo City, but we have grain bins on our farm with an 80,000-bushel storage capacity. We sell corn to the chicken folks throughout the year, beginning in March. Larry Killebrew has been a member of Farm Bureau since 1973 and an active volunteer leader since the 1990s. He believes in Farm Bureau and all that it does for the farmers of Mississippi.
This issue of AgMag is compliments of:
> <E :LLKH MA H
F
G
FBLLBLLB
Do you enjoy your job and why? I do enjoy my job. I enjoy working with crops and the people who grow them. It is very satisfying to see farmers produce successful crops by using ideas, practices, and systems I helped develop and encourage.
Do you enjoy growing corn and why? I enjoy growing corn because it is an uncomplicated crop and a pretty crop. I also like to get through early. Since we usually begin harvesting corn in August, we get through in September. I farm with my two sons, and they also farm separately. When we are finished for the season, we sit down and figure out what we will do the next year. We spend the winter repairing our equipment and getting our fields ready for another season.
>= >K :MBHG
As a State Extension Specialist for Grain Crops, what are your responsibilities? I work with grain crops, including corn, wheat, and grain sorghum (milo), grown on Mississippi farms. Although these have not traditionally been Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main crops, corn is now Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second-leading crop and fourth-leading agricultural commodity (following poultry, soybeans, and forestry). Together, Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grain crops also surpass forestry in market value. I am the professor at Mississippi State responsible for providing expertise to grow these crops more efficiently, so that your family has plenty of safe, delicious, affordable food. The grain from these crops is used to feed animals, as human food, flour, and sweeteners, and to produce domestic fuel. Mississippi State University Extension Service has a network of agricultural agents working all counties or areas of Mississippi. I teach and help Extension agents, as well as farmers, consultants, and other professionals who provide information and resources, such as seed, fertilizer, chemicals, and equipment, necessary to grow these crops for a living.
Corn Grower, Holmes County
: @ B
State Extension Specialist for Grain Crops Mississippi State University
Larry Killebrew
II
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Mississippi Corn Mazes
The popularity of corn mazes continues to increase in Mississippi and across the U.S. Whether it is a small quarter-acre mini-maze for the very young child or a complicated 15-acre maze for those who desire a challenge, corn mazes are a popular attraction for all ages on agritourism farms. What is agritourism? It is a business on a working farm or other agricultural enterprise that offers an educational and fun experience for visitors while generating supplemental income for the owner, such as corn mazes, U-pick gardens, farm arts and crafts, seasonal festivals, or just about any agricultural activity that brings income from agriculture. For more information about our stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agritourism industry, visit www.mississippiagritourism.org. A special thanks to Jan Holley of Holley Farm and Union County Extension Director Stanley Wise of Wise Family Farm for their help with the article and photographs.
g a M g A
CORN
An agricultural newsletter for kids from Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation ÂŽ
G N I E AMAIZ : Corn N I A R G
Although it is primarily known as corn here in America, maize is the original name of this large-grain plant, which was being grown by the people of prehistoric Mesoamerica. Explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries took maize to Europe where Europeans began calling it corn, a general term at the time for any grain. Today the terms are often used interchangeably, with maize being the preferred term in formal, scientific, and international usage. The name comes from its scientific name: and from the ancient word from pre-Columbia America.
Zea mays
MAHIZ
When you drive through Mississippi and look across the many fields of corn, you probably think of corn-on-the cob. It may surprise you to know that most of the corn grown in our state is actually field corn. Corn is Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s number-two row crop. Most of the corn grown here remains in the state and is used for feed for the poultry industry. The poultry industry is Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s number-one agricultural commodity so the demand is great. Mississippi farmers produced 121,680,000 bushels of corn in 2012.
Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in a bushel of corn?
Each bushel of corn can provide: 31.5 pounds of starch OR 33 pounds of sweetener OR 22.4 pounds of fiber/polymer OR 2.8 gallons of ethanol fuel AND 13.5 pounds of gluten feed AND 2.6 pounds of gluten meal AND 1.5 lbs. of corn oil.
Source: NCGA, worldofcorn.com
which of these items are made from corn? Circle all the products you think are made from corn. Answers can be found inside! No peeking!
F EED
CORNAgMag_Layout 1 8/6/13 2:25 PM Page 2
From plant to plastic
Are you surprised that plastic can be made from corn? Corn plastic is a more environmentally friendly plastic than plastic made from petroleum. A resin is the base of plastic made using only corn. The kernels are milled and sugar is extracted from the milled corn. The sugar is then allowed to ferment, producing a resin as a by-product. Producing corn plastic generates 68% less greenhouse gases and no toxins since it is made from corn. It is also completely biodegradable. Biodegradable means that it breaks down into little pieces that become part of the soil, instead of adding
to our landfills. Styrofoam and petroleum-based plastic products are not biodegradable.
A lot of things are made from plastic, including shopping bags, trash bags, and packing peanuts. Some grocery stores and food processors use corn plastic packaging for their fresh food items. Some food stands use plastic forks, knives, and spoons made from corn. Today, some brands of carpet and the stuffing in pillows and bed comforters are sometimes made from corn plastic that has been spun like cotton.
ACTIVITY: Use corn to make your own...
Biodegradable Plastic
1. Place a tablespoon of cornstarch in a plastic zipper-seal bag. 2. Add 2 drops of corn oil to the cornstarch. 3. Add 1 ½ tablespoons of water to the oil and cornstarch. Seal the bag. 4. Mix the cornstarch, oil, and water in the plastic bag by rubbing the outside of the bag with your fingers. 5. Add 2 drops of your favorite food coloring to the mixture and mix well. DO NOT completely seal the bag. 6. Place the bag in a microwave oven for 20-25 seconds on high.
Be careful, it will be hot. • What happens to your plastic? • Form your plastic into a ball while it is still warm and describe what it does. 7. Record your scientific observations. • What do you notice about your biodegradable plastic? • Is your biodegradable plastic the same as your classmates’ plastic? • What could you make with this biodegradable corn plastic if you let it harden? Remember, it will dissolve. • Compare your biodegradable plastic with the plastic zipper-seal bag.
What’s inside the seed (KERNEL)?
Did you know?
Corn is a friend of the environment
Endosperm Pericarp (seed coat) Germ
Tip Cap
Endosperm—Holds the energy and protein the new plant will use to begin to grow. This area is full of starch, which is used the most in corn processing.
Pericarp (seed coat)—Outside cover of the seed. It protects the inside of the seed from cold temperatures, moisture, and insects until the seed is ready to germinate.
Germ—Only living part of the seed. It will become the new plant. It has all of the genetics, vitamins, and minerals for a new plant to be created. There is also oil inside of the germ, which is the most valuable part of the corn kernel when it is processed.
Tip Cap—Where the kernel was attached to the cob. As the kernel grew on the cob, it took in water and nutrients from this area.
One acre of corn removes about 8 tons of carbon dioxide from the air in a growing season, which is more than a car produces in a year.
which of these items are made from corn?
Did you circle all of them? That’s right, all of these things are made from corn or corn products. Let’s look a little further... Some products are made directly from whole corn. These are called Whole Corn Products. For example, popcorn is a type of corn that has a little bit of water inside each kernel. When the kernel is heated, the water heats and builds up pressure. The pressure keeps building until the kernel pops and turns inside out. Additionally, field corn is processed to make products we use every day. Processing means changing corn into different products through a series of events. The corn is soaked and milled (ground) so that the germ oil, starch, gluten, and hulls can be separated. These items are then made into cornstarch, cooking oil, sweeteners, cereal, beverages, and fuel. There are over 4,200 uses for corn, with more being discovered every day. Corn is truly AMAIZEING!
Source: EPA
How is corn pollinated?
The corn plant is the only grain that has separate male and female flowering parts. The tassel is the male flower and produces pollen; the ear is the female flower. A typical hybrid corn ear consists of several hundred kernels attached to the cob and surrounded by a group of modified leaves called the husk. Each kernel starts as an ovule and has its own silk which grows out of the husk at the top of the ear.
The silks on corn are essential in order for pollen from the tassels to fertilize the plant. Each silk will convey pollen to one site on a developing ear of corn, making it possible for that site to develop into a kernel of corn. An ear of corn averages 800 kernels in 16 rows, and each kernel is attached to a silk. Corn will always have an even number of rows. If it's too hot in the summer, the silks can dry out before all the sites on a corn cob are fertilized. As a result, there will be gaps on that ear of corn where no kernels developed because they weren't fertilized.
TASSEL POLLEN
Self Pollination
TASSEL SILKS POLLEN EARS
s t c u s Prod o shell
n , tac r s o p i le C illa ch
Wohpcoorn, Tort P
soft
drin
Swe ks, ete con dime ner
nts, adhe sive s
h , cosmetic c r a t S ls, soap Gum,
g eutica el, Chewin c a m r pha ders, fu gs, tires pow park plu s
FEED
Gluten FeeMdeaalnd Glutsteocn k feed live
American corn farmers are by far the most productive in the world, growing 20 percent more corn than any other nation. Source: USDA
EARS
SILKS
Cross Pollination
Self-pollination: The type of pollination that occurs when pollen from a single plant falls on the silks of that same plant.
Typically, little self-pollination occurs in a field of corn. Most silks of a given plant are pollinated by pollen from surrounding plants. This is known as cross-pollination.
Cross-pollination: The type of pollination that occurs when pollen from one plant falls on the silks of a different plant.
CORNAgMag_Layout 1 8/6/13 2:25 PM Page 2
From plant to plastic
Are you surprised that plastic can be made from corn? Corn plastic is a more environmentally friendly plastic than plastic made from petroleum. A resin is the base of plastic made using only corn. The kernels are milled and sugar is extracted from the milled corn. The sugar is then allowed to ferment, producing a resin as a by-product. Producing corn plastic generates 68% less greenhouse gases and no toxins since it is made from corn. It is also completely biodegradable. Biodegradable means that it breaks down into little pieces that become part of the soil, instead of adding
to our landfills. Styrofoam and petroleum-based plastic products are not biodegradable.
A lot of things are made from plastic, including shopping bags, trash bags, and packing peanuts. Some grocery stores and food processors use corn plastic packaging for their fresh food items. Some food stands use plastic forks, knives, and spoons made from corn. Today, some brands of carpet and the stuffing in pillows and bed comforters are sometimes made from corn plastic that has been spun like cotton.
ACTIVITY: Use corn to make your own...
Biodegradable Plastic
1. Place a tablespoon of cornstarch in a plastic zipper-seal bag. 2. Add 2 drops of corn oil to the cornstarch. 3. Add 1 ½ tablespoons of water to the oil and cornstarch. Seal the bag. 4. Mix the cornstarch, oil, and water in the plastic bag by rubbing the outside of the bag with your fingers. 5. Add 2 drops of your favorite food coloring to the mixture and mix well. DO NOT completely seal the bag. 6. Place the bag in a microwave oven for 20-25 seconds on high.
Be careful, it will be hot. • What happens to your plastic? • Form your plastic into a ball while it is still warm and describe what it does. 7. Record your scientific observations. • What do you notice about your biodegradable plastic? • Is your biodegradable plastic the same as your classmates’ plastic? • What could you make with this biodegradable corn plastic if you let it harden? Remember, it will dissolve. • Compare your biodegradable plastic with the plastic zipper-seal bag.
What’s inside the seed (KERNEL)?
Did you know?
Corn is a friend of the environment
Endosperm Pericarp (seed coat) Germ
Tip Cap
Endosperm—Holds the energy and protein the new plant will use to begin to grow. This area is full of starch, which is used the most in corn processing.
Pericarp (seed coat)—Outside cover of the seed. It protects the inside of the seed from cold temperatures, moisture, and insects until the seed is ready to germinate.
Germ—Only living part of the seed. It will become the new plant. It has all of the genetics, vitamins, and minerals for a new plant to be created. There is also oil inside of the germ, which is the most valuable part of the corn kernel when it is processed.
Tip Cap—Where the kernel was attached to the cob. As the kernel grew on the cob, it took in water and nutrients from this area.
One acre of corn removes about 8 tons of carbon dioxide from the air in a growing season, which is more than a car produces in a year.
which of these items are made from corn?
Did you circle all of them? That’s right, all of these things are made from corn or corn products. Let’s look a little further... Some products are made directly from whole corn. These are called Whole Corn Products. For example, popcorn is a type of corn that has a little bit of water inside each kernel. When the kernel is heated, the water heats and builds up pressure. The pressure keeps building until the kernel pops and turns inside out. Additionally, field corn is processed to make products we use every day. Processing means changing corn into different products through a series of events. The corn is soaked and milled (ground) so that the germ oil, starch, gluten, and hulls can be separated. These items are then made into cornstarch, cooking oil, sweeteners, cereal, beverages, and fuel. There are over 4,200 uses for corn, with more being discovered every day. Corn is truly AMAIZEING!
Source: EPA
How is corn pollinated?
The corn plant is the only grain that has separate male and female flowering parts. The tassel is the male flower and produces pollen; the ear is the female flower. A typical hybrid corn ear consists of several hundred kernels attached to the cob and surrounded by a group of modified leaves called the husk. Each kernel starts as an ovule and has its own silk which grows out of the husk at the top of the ear.
The silks on corn are essential in order for pollen from the tassels to fertilize the plant. Each silk will convey pollen to one site on a developing ear of corn, making it possible for that site to develop into a kernel of corn. An ear of corn averages 800 kernels in 16 rows, and each kernel is attached to a silk. Corn will always have an even number of rows. If it's too hot in the summer, the silks can dry out before all the sites on a corn cob are fertilized. As a result, there will be gaps on that ear of corn where no kernels developed because they weren't fertilized.
TASSEL POLLEN
Self Pollination
TASSEL SILKS POLLEN EARS
s t c u s Prod o shell
n , tac r s o p i le C illa ch
Wohpcoorn, Tort P
soft
drin
Swe ks, ete con dime ner
nts, adhe sive s
h , cosmetic c r a t S ls, soap Gum,
g eutica el, Chewin c a m r pha ders, fu gs, tires pow park plu s
FEED
Gluten FeeMdeaalnd Glutsteocn k feed live
American corn farmers are by far the most productive in the world, growing 20 percent more corn than any other nation. Source: USDA
EARS
SILKS
Cross Pollination
Self-pollination: The type of pollination that occurs when pollen from a single plant falls on the silks of that same plant.
Typically, little self-pollination occurs in a field of corn. Most silks of a given plant are pollinated by pollen from surrounding plants. This is known as cross-pollination.
Cross-pollination: The type of pollination that occurs when pollen from one plant falls on the silks of a different plant.
CORNAgMag_Layout 1 8/6/13 4:11 PM Page 1
Faces of Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
corn INdustry
Erick Larson
What did you study in school? Math, science, and English were especially important for me to prepare for college and my career. In college, I earned Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from Kansas State University. I also earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Nebraska. My degrees were in Agronomy, which includes the sciences related to crops (or plants) and soils. I also achieved a minor in Adult Education. It is important to know that you never stop learning, so it is important to be committed and improve your abilities every day. What types of skills do you need for your job? Dedication may be the most important attribute needed to be successful. Everyone has different skills, but if you achieve quality education, you will have an opportunity to work in a career suited for your skills. It is also very important to strengthen your communication skills, including writing and public speaking, but these skills are often taken for granted.
What types of skills do you need to be a corn grower? You just need to know how to grow things, and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been farming for so long, I guess it just comes naturally to me now. You also must be willing to start earlier than with other crops. We plant corn around the first of March. In addition, you must like to irrigate a lot. Why type of equipment do you use to plant and harvest corn? We basically use the same type of equipment we use for other grain crops, but when we harvest corn, we use a special corn header. At harvest, the combine drives out into the corn field and pulls ears off the stalks. It separates the husks, kernels, and cobs, throws the cobs and husks out the back of the machine, and stores the kernels. When we have a full load, we dump the corn kernels into a grain cart and truck them to an elevator or grain bin. I grow half of my corn as dryland (non-irrigated) and half as irrigated, and I have had real good luck with this. Our average harvest is 180 bushels an acre. How do you market your corn? I haul my corn to a poultry feed mill in Philadelphia. Mississippi farmers canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t grow enough corn for our stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s poultry industry; corn must be trucked in from other states to meet the demand. Some of my corn goes to a grain elevator in Yazoo City, but we have grain bins on our farm with an 80,000-bushel storage capacity. We sell corn to the chicken folks throughout the year, beginning in March. Larry Killebrew has been a member of Farm Bureau since 1973 and an active volunteer leader since the 1990s. He believes in Farm Bureau and all that it does for the farmers of Mississippi.
This issue of AgMag is compliments of:
> <E :LLKH MA H
F
G
FBLLBLLB
Do you enjoy your job and why? I do enjoy my job. I enjoy working with crops and the people who grow them. It is very satisfying to see farmers produce successful crops by using ideas, practices, and systems I helped develop and encourage.
Do you enjoy growing corn and why? I enjoy growing corn because it is an uncomplicated crop and a pretty crop. I also like to get through early. Since we usually begin harvesting corn in August, we get through in September. I farm with my two sons, and they also farm separately. When we are finished for the season, we sit down and figure out what we will do the next year. We spend the winter repairing our equipment and getting our fields ready for another season.
>= >K :MBHG
As a State Extension Specialist for Grain Crops, what are your responsibilities? I work with grain crops, including corn, wheat, and grain sorghum (milo), grown on Mississippi farms. Although these have not traditionally been Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s main crops, corn is now Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s second-leading crop and fourth-leading agricultural commodity (following poultry, soybeans, and forestry). Together, Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grain crops also surpass forestry in market value. I am the professor at Mississippi State responsible for providing expertise to grow these crops more efficiently, so that your family has plenty of safe, delicious, affordable food. The grain from these crops is used to feed animals, as human food, flour, and sweeteners, and to produce domestic fuel. Mississippi State University Extension Service has a network of agricultural agents working all counties or areas of Mississippi. I teach and help Extension agents, as well as farmers, consultants, and other professionals who provide information and resources, such as seed, fertilizer, chemicals, and equipment, necessary to grow these crops for a living.
Corn Grower, Holmes County
: @ B
State Extension Specialist for Grain Crops Mississippi State University
Larry Killebrew
II
B ? Â&#x2020; ? :K F ;NK>:N
Mississippi Corn Mazes
The popularity of corn mazes continues to increase in Mississippi and across the U.S. Whether it is a small quarter-acre mini-maze for the very young child or a complicated 15-acre maze for those who desire a challenge, corn mazes are a popular attraction for all ages on agritourism farms. What is agritourism? It is a business on a working farm or other agricultural enterprise that offers an educational and fun experience for visitors while generating supplemental income for the owner, such as corn mazes, U-pick gardens, farm arts and crafts, seasonal festivals, or just about any agricultural activity that brings income from agriculture. For more information about our stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s agritourism industry, visit www.mississippiagritourism.org. A special thanks to Jan Holley of Holley Farm and Union County Extension Director Stanley Wise of Wise Family Farm for their help with the article and photographs.
g a M g A
CORN
An agricultural newsletter for kids from Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation ÂŽ
G N I E AMAIZ : Corn N I A R G
Although it is primarily known as corn here in America, maize is the original name of this large-grain plant, which was being grown by the people of prehistoric Mesoamerica. Explorers in the 15th and 16th centuries took maize to Europe where Europeans began calling it corn, a general term at the time for any grain. Today the terms are often used interchangeably, with maize being the preferred term in formal, scientific, and international usage. The name comes from its scientific name: and from the ancient word from pre-Columbia America.
Zea mays
MAHIZ
When you drive through Mississippi and look across the many fields of corn, you probably think of corn-on-the cob. It may surprise you to know that most of the corn grown in our state is actually field corn. Corn is Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s number-two row crop. Most of the corn grown here remains in the state and is used for feed for the poultry industry. The poultry industry is Mississippiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s number-one agricultural commodity so the demand is great. Mississippi farmers produced 121,680,000 bushels of corn in 2012.
Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in a bushel of corn?
Each bushel of corn can provide: 31.5 pounds of starch OR 33 pounds of sweetener OR 22.4 pounds of fiber/polymer OR 2.8 gallons of ethanol fuel AND 13.5 pounds of gluten feed AND 2.6 pounds of gluten meal AND 1.5 lbs. of corn oil.
Source: NCGA, worldofcorn.com
which of these items are made from corn? Circle all the products you think are made from corn. Answers can be found inside! No peeking!
F EED