Corn - Where Does Your Food Come From?

Karna Dam Author

01/19/2021 Added

99 Plays

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Ag Literacy video to show younger children how corn gets from the farm to their plates.

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[00:00:00.615](gentle music)
[00:00:05.150]Corn.
[00:00:06.700]It is an important part of Nebraska.
[00:00:09.300]After all, we are the Cornhusker State.
[00:00:12.970]Drive across Nebraska during the summer and fall
[00:00:16.150]and you'll see miles and miles of cornfields,
[00:00:20.350]but did you know that more than 99%
[00:00:23.060]of that corn grown in Nebraska is field corn?
[00:00:26.410]There are several types of corn,
[00:00:28.390]and each one has its own special purpose.
[00:00:31.850]Let's explore the different types of corn.
[00:00:34.820]You are probably most familiar with popcorn.
[00:00:38.000]It is a popular snack, and what is really cool is
[00:00:41.020]that Nebraska is the national leader in popcorn production.
[00:00:45.170]But what makes it pop?
[00:00:47.280]Each kernel of popcorn contains a small amount
[00:00:50.220]of water stored inside a circle of soft starch.
[00:00:54.020]When the kernel heats up, the water expands
[00:00:56.950]until the kernel bursts open
[00:00:58.740]to create a light, delicious snack.
[00:01:01.940]Another family favorite is sweet corn.
[00:01:04.540]Only 1% of the corn produced
[00:01:06.680]in the United States is sweet corn.
[00:01:09.160]We're talking corn on the cob, frozen corn, and canned corn.
[00:01:14.070]Sweet corn is bred to have plump, juicy kernels
[00:01:17.030]that include a high level of natural sugar
[00:01:19.270]to give it that sweet taste.
[00:01:21.330]Sweet corn is harvested when the kernels
[00:01:23.580]are young and moist, generally around July.
[00:01:27.710]Other varieties of corn are developed
[00:01:29.700]and grown for very specific purposes.
[00:01:32.480]Specialty corn is often grown
[00:01:34.530]with a specific end use in mind,
[00:01:37.100]with farmers working directly with buyers
[00:01:39.510]to produce the product they need.
[00:01:42.200]Blue corn, red corn, and high amylose corn.
[00:01:46.410]Blue corn is used in food products.
[00:01:49.060]You may have seen blue corn chips in the store.
[00:01:52.210]Red corn is another type of sweet corn
[00:01:54.550]that has a nutty flavor.
[00:01:56.360]And high amylose corn is a high starch corn
[00:01:59.260]that is used in textiles, candles, and adhesives.
[00:02:03.600]White corn features a harder than normal starch
[00:02:06.560]and is used in corn chips, tortillas,
[00:02:09.060]and other popular food products.
[00:02:11.510]Nebraska is one of the top producers
[00:02:13.830]of white corn in the United States.
[00:02:16.980]Ornamental corn comes in a variety of colors and patterns.
[00:02:21.300]This type of corn is used mostly in decorating
[00:02:24.270]during the fall months, but as you drive through Nebraska,
[00:02:28.560]the corn you see in field after field is field corn,
[00:02:33.050]also called yellow dent corn.
[00:02:35.660]Nebraska farmers plant nearly 9 million acres
[00:02:39.050]of field corn each spring.
[00:02:41.750]What is an acre?
[00:02:43.380]An acre is a measurement of land.
[00:02:46.080]To give you an image in your mind of how big an acre is,
[00:02:49.940]it is about the same size as a football field.
[00:02:53.310]Primarily used for ethanol production and livestock feed,
[00:02:57.150]field corn is also used in many food products.
[00:03:01.160]Let's go to the farm and see how corn grows.
[00:03:04.600]In the spring, in late April, early May,
[00:03:08.830]farmers get ready to plant their corn crop.
[00:03:11.560]A farming practice that is used
[00:03:13.410]in today's farm world is called no-till.
[00:03:16.580]As the world population increases,
[00:03:19.380]protecting the farm ground
[00:03:20.970]that is available to farmers is important.
[00:03:24.180]So in order for the land they farm to be healthy,
[00:03:27.690]they no longer till the soil before they plant into it.
[00:03:31.960]This allows the leftover plants from the previous year
[00:03:35.200]to decompose, which adds nutrients back into the soil.
[00:03:39.740]Also, by not working the soil,
[00:03:41.950]the wind doesn't blow the soil away.
[00:03:44.700]Farmers will plant the corn kernels
[00:03:46.680]into the ground using a planter.
[00:03:49.150]Planters come in many sizes.
[00:03:51.500]This planter plants 16 rows of corn at one time.
[00:03:55.810]The planter is 40 feet from one side to the other,
[00:03:59.580]and the rows that are planted are 30 inches apart.
[00:04:03.620]Technology is an important part of today's agriculture.
[00:04:07.240]With the help of technology,
[00:04:08.930]the planter will drop one kernel in the ground
[00:04:11.710]every six inches through the field.
[00:04:14.410]This allows the corn plant enough space to grow.
[00:04:17.770]The kernels are planted two inches
[00:04:19.880]below the surface of the ground.
[00:04:22.450]It takes about a week for a kernel of corn to start growing
[00:04:25.910]and push its way up through the soil.
[00:04:28.620]When a seed begins to grow, it is called germinate.
[00:04:33.090]As the corn plant grows, it develops a stalk.
[00:04:36.940]Inside the stalk are rolled up leaves that,
[00:04:39.960]as it grows, those leaves open up.
[00:04:43.200]The leaves capture sunlight to help the corn plant grow.
[00:04:47.430]When the corn plant is about two and a half months old,
[00:04:50.760]it will tassel.
[00:04:52.360]The tassel comes out of the top of the corn plant.
[00:04:55.700]The tassel is full of pollen.
[00:04:58.300]Lower on the plant is where the ears of corn will grow.
[00:05:02.510]At this point, there are little hairs,
[00:05:04.940]called silk, coming out of the stalk.
[00:05:07.910]The pollen will fall from the tassel onto the silk.
[00:05:12.050]Each silk will become a kernel of corn.
[00:05:15.130]From the time a kernel is planted,
[00:05:17.270]it will take five to six months
[00:05:19.290]for that corn plant to reach maturity.
[00:05:22.130]The number of kernels per ear can vary from 500
[00:05:25.650]to about 1,200, but a typical ear will have 800 kernels.
[00:05:32.110]When farmers measure the amount of grain they harvest,
[00:05:35.270]they measure it in bushels.
[00:05:37.510]A bushel is about the same size as your laundry basket.
[00:05:41.660]If we were to fill your laundry basket with corn,
[00:05:44.810]it would weigh 56 pounds,
[00:05:47.040]or about as much as a big bag of dog food.
[00:05:50.310]Farmers will also spray their fields
[00:05:52.250]to control weeds and pests.
[00:05:54.840]It is important to protect the corn plants.
[00:05:57.930]If there are too many weeds in the field,
[00:06:00.580]those weeds take away valuable water
[00:06:03.280]and nutrients that the corn plant needs.
[00:06:06.270]Sometimes the farmers will have an airplane
[00:06:08.660]or helicopter put the pesticides on their fields.
[00:06:12.050]This is always fun to watch.
[00:06:14.710]A new way that farmers are using technology
[00:06:17.590]in aerial spraying is to use drones.
[00:06:21.870]When the corn plants are mature, the plant will turn brown,
[00:06:25.470]and the kernels of corn will harden,
[00:06:27.520]and a dent will form at the end of the kernel.
[00:06:30.490]This is why it is called yellow dent corn.
[00:06:34.820]The farmers will go into the field with combines
[00:06:37.410]to harvest the corn.
[00:06:39.740]The combine will cut the corn plant off
[00:06:42.230]and the entire plant moves through the combine.
[00:06:45.270]The combine will separate the kernels
[00:06:47.250]from the cob and the stalk.
[00:06:50.500]The kernels move up into a hopper or tank.
[00:06:55.610]The cob and stalk are chopped up
[00:06:57.870]and blown back on the field.
[00:07:01.030]Remember how I said we leave the old plants on the ground?
[00:07:04.690]This is called crop residue,
[00:07:06.800]and that residue is what will break down,
[00:07:09.050]adding nutrients back into the soil.
[00:07:13.130]Let's watch as the combine goes through the field.
[00:07:17.090](gentle music)
[00:07:20.190]The combine uses technology to record
[00:07:22.870]how many bushels each field produces.
[00:07:26.849](gentle music)
[00:07:32.160]So where does the corn go from here?
[00:07:35.591](gentle music)
[00:07:43.700]The farmer will auger the corn
[00:07:45.390]from the combine into a grain cart
[00:07:48.980]or truck where it is hauled to the farm or elevator.
[00:07:53.230]The corn is stored in grain bins.
[00:07:55.890]One of these grain bins can hold 40,000 bushels of corn.
[00:08:00.460]The farmer keeps the corn in the bin
[00:08:02.510]until he is ready to sell it.
[00:08:05.570]From the farm, the corn will be loaded onto a semi
[00:08:08.920]where it is hauled to be made into things you can use,
[00:08:13.060]animal feed and food for you.
[00:08:16.550]When you read labels, you will see that corn
[00:08:19.100]is in many of the things you eat.
[00:08:21.420]We will look at just a few of those.
[00:08:24.890]Corn is found in many products that you eat and drink.
[00:08:28.680]One bushel of corn can sweeten
[00:08:30.750]about 400 cans or bottles of soda pop.
[00:08:34.880]Corn oil, corn meal, corn syrup,
[00:08:38.340]and corn starch are pretty easy to identify
[00:08:41.230]because they have corn in their name.
[00:08:44.470]Corn-based cereals also use field corn,
[00:08:49.310]but some of the products that you might not think
[00:08:51.650]about having corn in them include salad dressing, crackers,
[00:08:56.150]and some of your favorite snacks.
[00:08:58.650]All of these and many more include corn
[00:09:01.470]through the use of high fructose corn syrup
[00:09:04.330]or corn starch to help thicken them.
[00:09:08.340]It is a long process from the time the farmer
[00:09:11.000]puts the seed in the ground to the time
[00:09:13.190]you enjoy the corn they grew on your plate,
[00:09:17.710]but farmers enjoy feeding the world
[00:09:19.890]and seeing the smile on your face
[00:09:21.830]when you are enjoying the flavors
[00:09:23.550]of something they had a hand in making.
[00:09:26.260]It puts a smile on their face, too.
[00:09:29.467](gentle music)

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Tags:
corn
farm to fork
elementary agricultural literacy
agricultural literacy

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Corn - Where Does Your Food Come From?

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