Corn Production
Production
1. 175 million bushels grown annually, corn is Kentucky’s leading cash crop in terms of value. 2. Kentucky ranks 14th in the nation for corn production. 3. Bourbon County .............................................. 783,200 bushels 4. Corn is the most widely produced feed grain in the United States, accounting for more than 90 percent of total value and production of feed grains. 5. Around 80 million acres of land are planted to corn, with the majority of the crop grown in the Heartland region. 6. Just 20 years ago, the average was 84.6 bushels per acre; produc- tivity has nearly doubled 7. Corn farmers have reduced total fertilizer use by 10 percent since 1980. 8. only about 11 percent of corn acreage was irrigated in 2008. 9. According to USDA, a producer saves at least 3.5 gallons of fuel per acre by reducing tillage. On a farm with 1,000 acres of cropland, these savings add up to 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel per year. 10. According to the USDA, one acre of corn removes about 8 tons of carbon dioxide from the air in a growing season, and – at 180 bushels per acre – produces enough oxygen to supply a year’s needs for 131 people. 11. In 1940, one American farmer produced enough to feed 19 people, according to the Na- tional Agricultural Statistics Service. Today, one farmer feeds over 155 people world- wide. New technology, and old-fashioned elbow grease promise to push that figure to 200 in the near future. 12. The introduction of herbicide tolerant corn hybrids in the late 1990s has resulted in better weed control, higher yields, and the introduction of minimum and no-till practices. Also, farmers use significantly fewer pes- ticides and make fewer trips across the field. It adds up to big savings in equipment, fuel and labor-related costs: $8-$13 per acre for a corn grower. 13. Corn is a member of the plant family of grasses. 14.
1. 175 million bushels grown annually, corn is Kentucky’s leading cash crop in terms of value. 2. Kentucky ranks 14th in the nation for corn production. 3. Bourbon County .............................................. 783,200 bushels 4. Corn is the most widely produced feed grain in the United States, accounting for more than 90 percent of total value and production of feed grains. 5. Around 80 million acres of land are planted to corn, with the majority of the crop grown in the Heartland region. 6. Just 20 years ago, the average was 84.6 bushels per acre; produc- tivity has nearly doubled 7. Corn farmers have reduced total fertilizer use by 10 percent since 1980. 8. only about 11 percent of corn acreage was irrigated in 2008. 9. According to USDA, a producer saves at least 3.5 gallons of fuel per acre by reducing tillage. On a farm with 1,000 acres of cropland, these savings add up to 3,500 gallons of diesel fuel per year. 10. According to the USDA, one acre of corn removes about 8 tons of carbon dioxide from the air in a growing season, and – at 180 bushels per acre – produces enough oxygen to supply a year’s needs for 131 people. 11. In 1940, one American farmer produced enough to feed 19 people, according to the Na- tional Agricultural Statistics Service. Today, one farmer feeds over 155 people world- wide. New technology, and old-fashioned elbow grease promise to push that figure to 200 in the near future. 12. The introduction of herbicide tolerant corn hybrids in the late 1990s has resulted in better weed control, higher yields, and the introduction of minimum and no-till practices. Also, farmers use significantly fewer pes- ticides and make fewer trips across the field. It adds up to big savings in equipment, fuel and labor-related costs: $8-$13 per acre for a corn grower. 13. Corn is a member of the plant family of grasses. 14.