High Fructose CORN Sryup Facts

 

A bushel is measured by pounds, that is 56 pounds of shelled corn. There are approximately 72, 800 kernels of corn in a bushel.

That is around 40-60 ears depending on ear size.

The U.S. is the largest producer of corn.

123.4 bu/acre is the average bushels harvest in 2012.

 

 Things you may not realize that are made with corn

paints

candles

fireworks

drywall

plastics

adhesives

antibiotics

 textiles

soaps

shoe polish

sandpaper

dyes

rubber tires

carpeting

fiberglass

High Fructose Corn Syrup us also made from corn. There is lots of mis information out there about HFCS. Here are some common myths.

 

Myth: Sugar is healthier than high fructose corn syrup.

Reality: Afraid not. High fructose corn syrup is basically the same as sugar—both in terms of composition and in the number of calories they contain. Since high fructose corn syrup and sugar are so similar, the human body absorbs them the same way.

Myth: High fructose corn syrup is to blame for obesity and diabetes.

Reality: Nope. There is no scientific evidence that high fructose corn syrup is to blame for obesity and diabetes. In fact, the U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows that consumption of high fructose corn syrup has actually been declining while obesity and diabetes rates continued to rise (see chart). Around the world, obesity levels are also rising even though HFCS consumption is limited outside of the U.S. Many other factors contribute to rising obesity levels including changes in lifestyle, diet and exercise and are unrelated to HFCS.

 

 

 

Corn and Beans



JD tractor and a Kinze 32 row planter

I have a list of things that I want to do each year. If you saw my list you would probably think I was a bit strange. A few of the things I want to do this year revolve around row crop farming:

1. Learn to drive a Semi (I hope to do this in the fall)

2. Run the Turbo till tillage implement (completed this spring)

3. Plant Corn and Soybeans (I planted beans late last month)

Close up of the soybean planter, this can also be adjusted for corn as well.

I have been in many tractors, but there is something about planting and harvesting a crop that is really fascinating. I could do it full time if I could find a sucker to let me drive their tractors, but I think they would have to be pretty desperate.  Working the soil, treating the weeds and planting the crop seems pretty simple, but there is an art to driving equipment with all this great technology.

This hopper wagon is full of Becks Liberty Link  beans to refill planter.

Driving a tractor is one thing, but when you add in auto steer, irregular field shapes, night tilling, waterways and lining up your rows perfectly, there are a lot of things to remember. When you see those guys out in the field rolling right along, let me tell you, it is harder than it looks. They really know what they are doing and I am pretty sure I am not going to get hired to work ground or plant beans any time soon. It would take me 20 times longer to do the job and probably not to their perfection either. I’d better stick with occasionally making a meal for the local farmers so they will let me drive the tractor every once in a while. I think I have that pretty down pat.

Planting corn, view from the tractor cab. Big tank holds Nitrogen
that is released when seed is planted.

Even though we do not plant corn or soybeans on our small farm, our animals consume a lot of corn and beans. Animal production in Ohio has a direct link to what row crop farmers are doing. The production of their product affects the price and supply of what I feed to my animals.

Just like with anything you do in life, practice makes perfect when planting soybeans. I think that farmers are always learning how to do their jobs better and more efficiently, but I also think farmers are born with the drive, passion and know-how to do what they do. Farmers work round the clock to get the work done, some working 20-hour days to get ahead of the weather. I know when I spend a little time talking with my crop farmer friends I am extremely grateful that they do what they do! Please remember to be careful when you see equipment on the roads and instead of passing them in a hurry give them a beep and a friendly wave to show them how much you appreciate what they are doing.

Reaching out to 800,000 Consumers

April 2013 Clicking on attached links will in some instances take you away from USB-funded information. FARMERS REACH 800,000 CONSUMERS IN 1 DAY

It's amazing what one morning in a TV studio can do. Two CommonGround volunteers recently appeared on 25 television, radio and blog outlets, informing consumers in major media markets such as Boston, Detroit and Minneapolis about the truth behind today's agriculture. Kristin Reese, from CommonGround Ohio, and LaVell Winsor, of CommonGround Kansas, settled into a St. Louis TV set starting at 7 a.m., and gracefully handled interviews, many of them on live TV shows, for the next four hours. They answered questions about everything from organic food to GMO food safety, and took every opportunity to talk about the values and care that America's farmers bring to the country's food supply. While most of the interviews were friendly and informative, a live TV interview on WJBK in Detroit presented a challenge. The reporter presented a sensational picture of GMO foods by playing a clip about research conducted on biotech foods from a naturopathic doctor. Reese and Winsor were prepared with the facts. They cited the fact that groups such as the World Health Organization say that no effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of biotech foods. They also discussed the benefits of biotechnology for food security and the environment. Reese and Winsor opened the barn doors, offering themselves and their fellow CommonGround volunteers as a resource for consumers. As Winsor stated a number of times in her interviews, most Americans are two or three generations removed from farming, so naturally they have questions and concerns about how their food is grown and raised. CommonGround volunteers work to build trust in agriculture by having open conversations and sharing the true story of today's farming. Thanks to support from America's soybean and corn farmers through their checkoffs, they've reached millions of consumers with their stories and the facts. Sixteen states participate in the grassroots CommonGround movement, with 85 volunteer spokeswomen. Because of the passion of these farm women to reach urban consumers with the truth, CommonGround continues to grow. To view available interviews, click on the links below. WPMT-TV (Fox, Harrisburg, Pa.) KGWN-TV (CBS, Cheyenne, Wyo.) KIMT-TV (CBS, Rochester, Minn. / Mason City, Iowa)

Harvest Time: Corn Harvest in Ohio 2011

Ohio Corn Harvest 2011 Video

As the 2011 harvest comes to a close I want to thank all the grain farmers who work so hard to feed our country and even our world. They not only work hard to feed people but the animals that I and many others raise.

I put this documentary style video together to showcase how corn is harvested. It will take you out into the corn field and end  at the grain bin. Even if you are around fields of corn,  I think you may take something away with this shoot. I even learned a thing or two. Farmers work hard and use  technology more than you may think. They have many new tools that can keep them even more efficient. Farmers are naturally resourceful and value technology.
Did you  know while in the combine or on the go they can use an App on their phone or tablet computer  to control their grain dryer? I am excited to see what will be developed in the next 5-10 years to help even more.
Thanks so much to a few of my favorite farmers for taking time to help  me make this video possible. The corn harvest is still underway in Ohio, it has not been a typical year due to all the rain. Many farmers still have corn out in those fields. The joke was some may be harvesting into December and I laughed, it just may be true for some farmers in my area.

This field corn will be used to make ethanol here in Ohio or possibly be shipped
out to N.C. to be used to feed chickens and hogs. Fields are averaging around 200 bushels per acre.
Around 1,000 bushels of corn will fill a semi trailer.