Domestic Corn Demand Goes Well Beyond Consumer Foods

When most consumers drive past corn fields on summer roads this season, they might assume the crop is going toward products like Corn Flakes or sweet corn. However, most of the corn planted in the U.S. is field corn. Last month’s USDA acreage report showed U.S. farmers planted 89.9 million acres of corn this year. Of those yields, one of every four bushels of domestic corn demand goes to cattle and hog producers.

Ethanol production is another significant use of U.S. corn acres. One Missouri ethanol plant alone processes upwards of 55,000 bushels per day. Even corn acres suffering from drought or recovering from historic flooding, serve a purpose one way or another for domestic livestock feed and fuel powering the country.

Read more on corn uses and processing here.