Fun Facts

Grain sorghum is one of the oldest known grains. Its origins can be traced back to ancient Africa and India.

Did you know the corn humans eat is different from the corn that cattle eat? Most of the corn people eat is sweet  corn. Cattle and other livestock eat field corn.

Did you know that in Kansas cows outnumber people 2-to1? There are almost 3 million people and more than 6 million cattle!

Mexico and Japan are our top international corn buyers. They buy 50 percent of U.S. corn exports.

About two-thirds of the Kansas corn crop is used in-state as livestock feed or in food production.

Within an hour of birth calves are up and ready to nurse. A baby calf will drink a gallon of milk a day.

Compared with 50 years ago, pig farmers are using 41% less water to produce a pound of pork, with a 35% smaller carbon footprint.

Milk is one of the best sources of calcium. Our bodies absorb 28 percent of the calcium found in milk, but as little as 5 percent of the calcium found in other foods like spinach.

One Kansas farmer raises enough food to feed about 155 people!

Drink local with milk! It takes about 48 hours for milk to travel from dairy farms to the grocery store.

Farmers in Kansas grow more than 650 million bushels of corn each year. 

Kansas grows winter wheat that is planted and sprouts in the fall, becomes dormant in the winter, grows again in the spring and is harvested in early summer.

Did you know corn tortillas can differ in color based on the type of corn used? Some are white and others are yellow.

About a third of a steer is used for beef production. The rest of the animal is used to make by-products found in medicines, cosmetics, detergents, insulation, and much more!

The top five agiculture commodities in Kansas are cattle, corn, wheat, soybeans and sorghum.

Did you know Kansas farmers grow about 330 million bushels of wheat each year? That’s enough to make 23 billion loaves of bread!

Corn is produced on every continent of the world with the exception of Antarctica. 

One 60-pound bushel of wheat provides about 42 pounds of white flour, enough for about 70, one-pound loaves of white bread.

Fertilizer contains a lot of helpful nutrients, thanks to Mother Nature! Potash, which is salt from ancient evaporated oceans, is used in fertilizer to feed our soil.

Mexico and Japan are our top international corn buyers. They buy 50 percent of U.S. corn exports.

Did you know there are 15,000 soybean farms in Kansas? In 2016, Kansas farmers harvested more than 4 million acres of soybeans.