Ask a farmer: What is the difference between sweet corn and field corn?

I recently wrote an article for the Minnesota Farm Guide, about the difference between sweet corn and field corn. Take a look at the article below, or here: http://www.minnesotafarmguide.com/news/crop/article_bd236186-093a-11e3-9c90-0019bb2963f4.html

August 19, 2013 8:49 pm • By Noah Hultgren, Minnesota Corn Growers Association
“Ask a farmer” is a new column written by a different Minnesota corn farmer every month. It will be sent on the third Monday of each month and cover farming issues and questions that farmers often hear from the non-farming general public.

Sweet corn. It’s almost as American as apple pie.

If you’re barbequing with friends and family on a sunny weekend evening in Minnesota, chances are good that corn on the cob is part of the menu. Or maybe you’re celebrating Thanksgiving with a plump turkey and all the fixings – mashed potatoes, dressing, cranberries, and a nice big serving bowl filled with sweet corn.

When most people think of corn, it’s sweet corn that comes to mind. But the fact is, of the 97.2 million acres of corn planted in the United States last year, sweet corn made up less than 1 percent of the total crop. The rest was field corn.

When driving through rural Minnesota or any other Corn Belt state, it’s usually field corn you see out your window. Although field corn kernels start out soft like sweet corn, it’s not harvested until the kernels are dry. Field corn is used to feed livestock, make the renewable fuel ethanol and thousands of other bio-based products like carpet, make-up or aspirin.

Sweet corn is harvested when the kernels are soft and sweet, making it ideal for eating. If you grab an ear of field corn and try to take a bite, you’ll probably break your teeth. It’s hard and dry (and only tastes good to cows, chickens, pigs, turkeys and some wild animals).

U.S. corn farmers harvested 10.8 billion bushels of field corn last year. Minnesota corn farmers harvested a record 1.37 billion bushels. In contrast, 158.7 million bushels of sweet corn was harvested throughout the entire United States.

While sweet corn satisfies our taste buds, field corn improves our lives in many other ways.
One bushel of field corn weighs 56 pounds, and if it isn’t used directly for livestock feed, it is likely to be exported or made into ethanol that is used to fuel your car. Each bushel produces 2.8 gallons of ethanol, 18 pounds of dried distillers grains (a high protein livestock feed), 14 pounds of corn gluten pellets, 1.8 pounds of corn oil and 17 pounds of carbon dioxide (used in dry ice, the beverage industry, water treatment facilities and other applications).

The remaining field corn crop is used to make other food products, manufactured goods, exported to other countries and put into storage.

Sweet corn holds a place in American dining lore. Field corn nourishes livestock, powers our cars, cleans our air, creates jobs and builds strong local economies.

So, even though you can’t slather a cob of field corn in butter and eat it, it still touches our lives in many ways.

Noah Hultgren is on the Minnesota Corn Growers Association board and is a field corn, sweet corn, soybean and sugar beet farmer in Raymond, Minn., in Kandiyohi County.

US Home Prices Rise 12 Percent

I saw an article in the St. Paul Pioneer Press today stating that home prices in the U.S. rose 12.2 percent compared to last year, which is the biggest gain in the last 7 years - essentially prior to the start of the recession in 2007.

Mortgage rates have also been rising, so now seems like a good time for buyers and sellers to meet in the market. If you're ready to sell your house, please give me a call at 320-894-7528. I'd be happy to help you find a buyer!

Take care,
Noah Hultgren
noah@farmlandman.com
320-894-7528

Spring Planting is Behind Schedule

Hi everyone,

The wet weather has forced a slow start to spring planting this year, but we're catching up. I saw an article in the StarTribune by Mike Hughlett that looks at the impact of the late spring. Yields will likely be lowered.

Spring planting in Minnesota is still behind schedule
http://www.startribune.com/business/210017571.html
Article by: MIKE HUGHLETT , Star Tribune

Updated: June 3, 2013 - 8:36 PM

 

"Wet weather continued to vex farmers last week, which means planting of Minnesota’s main crops remains behind schedule.

 

In fact, some farmers will likely face lower crop yields due to the late start. As of Sunday, 87 percent of corn, the state’s biggest crop, had been planted, compared with a five-year average of 98 percent, according to data released Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s St. Paul office.

 

The state’s second-largest crop, soybeans, was 55 percent planted on Sunday, while the five-year average for that date is 88 percent. As for spring wheat, 92 percent was in the ground compared with a five-year average of 97 percent.

 

“Cool and wet weather prevailed again in Minnesota for the week ending June 2,” the USDA’s weekly crop report said. “Standing water and muddy fields continued to hamper field work.”

Minnesota farmers were plagued by a long winter and wet spring; they started May with nary a seed in the ground. Then, May turned out to be one of the gloomiest months in decades as measured by cloudy days. The Twin Cities experienced its sixth-wettest March-through-May on record.

 

Minnesota farmers got a big break in the weather during the week of May 12 to 19. They seeded a vast amount of acres, catching up on long-term averages for planting. But progress since May 19 has slowed significantly.

 

Late planting can reduce crop yields by shortening growing seasons. For corn, yields decline rapidly for every day of planting past mid-May. “Does this late planting have an effect? Most definitely,” said David Nicolai, a University of Minnesota Extension crop educator in Farmington.

 

Due to the late start, corn yields on average should be about 84 percent of maximum, he said. Some corn farmers in the southeastern part of the state have been hit particularly hard by the wet weather.

Soybeans can be planted throughout May without a yield penalty, but the clock starts ticking in June.

Nicolai said that U Extension recommends that for soybeans planted after June 10, farmers use a hybrid seed that’s tailored to a shorter season. But typically, that seed will lead to lower yields, he said.

 

The silver lining to all the rain: Minnesota’s parched topsoil has gotten a major recharge. As of Sunday, 63 percent of the state’s topsoil had adequate moisture, while 35 percent had surplus water, according to the USDA. As for subsoil moisture, 72 percent was adequate as of Sunday."

 

Have a great week,

Noah Hultgren

noah@farmlandman.com

320-894-7528