Sweet Corn vs. Field Corn

One of my favorite summer time foods is sweet corn! Nearly every year since I was a little girl my family has had our own sweet corn patch on our farm. Sweet corn is the type of corn people typically grow in their vegetable gardens. It can even be grown year round in some warm weather climates. This type of corn is harvested when the kernels are immature and still in the milk stage, and is used primarily for human consumption. Families all across the world have several different choices when consuming sweet corn. Many may prefer it fresh right off the cob, from a can, or even frozen. It's even the third leading vegetable used for processing following potatoes and tomatoes. Over 700,000 acres of sweet corn are grown in the United States each year for both fresh market and for processing. This statistic makes the U.S. both the leading producer and exporter of sweet corn! 700,000 acres may seem like a lot of corn, but sweet corn production really only accounts for roughly 1% of the corn produced across the country.

If you've taken a drive lately through much of the Midwest, you more than likely may have noticed the many corn fields, often stretching for miles along the highways. Field corn, also known as dent or feed corn, makes up more than 90% of the corn you see growing in the fields. So what makes this corn different than what ends up on my dinner plate? Well, field corn is hard on the outside and starchy on the inside, unlike sweet corn . While most often considered a food for animals, it can be found in many products you use everyday! After the corn is harvested, it is usually stored at a local grain elevator or on a farm's bin site which not only stores the corn, but also dry it to protect the quality of the kernels. From storage, the corn is taken to many different places depending on what it is going to be used for. Some corn is taken to feed mills where it is made into livestock feed. A lot of the corn produced in the U.S. today also goes to ethanol plants so that it can be made into fuel for people to use, plus the corn can also be sent to barges on local rivers where it travels down the rivers to be exported and eventually end up in other countries. The rest of the corn is sent to various processing plants where it can be made into various types of household products. Many of which you might never have thought of. For example, did you know corn was used to make crayons, chips, vitamins, paint, plastic and...it is also used as a food ingredient in the form of corn cereal, corn starch, corn oil and corn syrup!

Next time your on a road trip this summer, ask your friends and family if they know the difference between sweet corn and field corn...

Happy Summer!

Kiley

Animal Care

Animal care is at the top list of farmers and ranchers. It's pretty intuitive that animals that are treated well perform better and require less maintenance (i.e. veterinary services, extra feed, etc.).

Check out this Animal Care Training website where beef, dairy and equine producers can train their employees on correct animal handling techniques in an online setting. It's pretty neat to see producers being so proactive and taking animal care to the next level by certifying that their employees have received training and comprehended the material. This program is brought to you by the Beef Cattle Institute at Kansas State University.

There are some neat things going on in the beef industry and they should make you feel good about the hamburger or steak on your dinner plate!

My Best,

Tera Rooney

A cattlewoman's trip to the farmer's market

Growing up in Nebraska and attending college in Kansas... and then moving to Washington D.C. presents a study in contrasts. DC is split up into smaller districts within itself and through the magic of Craig's List I managed to accidentally find housing in the "hippy area" of Takoma Park. As you can imagine, there aren't many square-toed boots to be seen and Cinch shirts are unheard of, in fact, Tom's Shoes and tie-dye seems to have replaced them. I live with some really great people who are very, VERY removed from agriculture and they have found my animal science degree a fascination. My land-lady was amazed by how chicken eggs are produced and how fertilization occurs, she was also surprised to know that just because the eggs she buys at the farmer's market on Sundays for 5 dollars a dozen are organic, that doesn't mean the chickens are free-range. I attended the Takoma Farmer's Market yesterday and couldn't help but laugh a bit at the premium prices people were willing to pay for "hormone free" eggs. Nothing is "hormone free" if it comes from any kind of living organism... and additionally hormones are illegal to be fed to chickens (even though they would have zero benefit to growth or productivity). My roommates had told me that pretty much everything in the market was organic and that people were willing to pay the extra money for the perceived health benefits from consuming those foods, but after asking couple vendors I quickly found that only one of them was actually certified organic. For many of the smaller producers it is just too expensive to be certified so they advertise with words like "ecoganic" and "raised in an organic style." Either way, these are small, many times very young farmers who probably could not make it in the DC area using conventional farming methods. They have found an ingenious niche market among the urban, health savvy, green generation and they intend to develop their market share. In an age of incredible competition to maintain oneself on the right side of the bottom line there has been much discussion of Organic vs. Conventional. In reality there is plenty of room for both. There is no way that these small farmers who charge exorbitant prices can begin to feed billions of hungry people, but on a sunny Sunday afternoon they seem to be doing just fine catering to the wants of a specialized group of consumers. Through cooperation and mutual advocating conventional farming practices and organic methods can help to provide a career path for a new generation of agriculturalists interested in feeding the world.

Photo: www.takoma.com/green/market-thumb-500x332.jpg

Ready for our close up...

Today we are filming for NCBA's Cattlemen to Cattlemen series to showcase our student organization and promote Food For Thought's efforts. Check out the website so you can catch the upcoming episode.

http://www.cattlementocattlemen.org/

I can't wait to see what airs!

Temple Grandin DVD's

Did you get a copy of this DVD? If you would like one, please e-mail us at ksfoodforthought@gmail.com

Behind the Blogger: Jara Settles

Hello there! My name is Jara Settles and I am a recent (2011) graduate of Kansas State University where I earned a B.S. in animal science. In the fall I will attend Washburn University School of Law to pursue a career in agricultural law. I intend to utilize my legal training in conjunction with my agricultural passion to represent the various industries that have made the United States so great. There is no question that our country would not be the world power that it is today without the hard work and sacrifice of generations of American farmers and ranchers across the country.

I grew up in rural Nebraska on a purebred cattle operation and spent most of my life on the end of a halter. After I graduated from high school I moved to Kansas to attend Butler CC to compete on their nationally renowned livestock judging team. After my time at Butler I transferred to KSU where I was active in several agricultural organizations as well as competing on the livestock and horse judging teams.

Now there is no question that my heart is in the beef industry and livestock production in general, but the agricultural world is something like a family, when one part succeeds, we all succeed. It is my hope that my involvement in Food For Thought can even further help this wonderful organization to bridge the gap between consumers and producers.

Misery loves company...

They say if you want to complain about something in agriculture, someone somewhere else has it worse. Now, I'm not going to downplay any devastation across the midwest agriculture belt simply because it's bad no matter where you are it seems. Misery loves company and people really ban together in the face of destruction.

While many residents in the Missouri Valley are dealing with this...

Flooding in an IA corn field.

Doesn't it just about make you sick that so many counties in Kansas are dealing with this?

Contrast of parched land next to an irrigated KS wheat field earlier this spring.

I guess I hope this post makes you stop and think of everyone who is affected by the extreme weather this summer and will be dealing with it on a day to day basis. Many farmers and ranchers are in danger of losing precious ground that has been in production for generations whether it be to a flood or extreme drought. It's going to be a rough summer for many, but agriculturists are pulling their boots on every day and digging their heels in to the ground to hang on for the ride.

I thought these maps were neat, well neat might not be the word to use...

Counties in Kansas affected by severe drought.

Areas in the Missouri River Valley affected by the severe flooding.

Praying for those involved,

Tera Rooney