Fun Facts

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

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

There are about 60-80 pods on a mature soybean plant. Each pod contains three small soybeans.

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.

Wheat flour is a good source of complex carbohydrates and contains protein. Plus, it’s low in fat and sodium.

There are 7 different breeds of dairy cattle. Farmers choose their breeds based on milk production, size and even personality.

One bale of cotton can make 3,085 diapers.

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

A bushel of soybeans weighs 60 pounds and produces 11 pounds of oil and 48 pounds of soybean meal.

In pre-refrigeration days, hogs were harvested in the fall and cured for six to seven months, just in time for Easter dinner. That’s how ham came to be the traditional Easter favorite.

The majority of oil used for cooking in our country is U.S.-grown 100% soybean oil!

Small engines like lawnmowers and boats can use E10 fuel.

Soybean oil is a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E.

Cattle are great recyclers. They convert natural resources that would otherwise be wasted into beef, an edible protein containing 10 essential nutrients such as zinc, iron and B vitamins.  

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

Gluten is what helps bread expand while the dough rises, and hold its shape while baking and after it cools. It’s also what makes bread chewy.

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

About one-third of the milk produced in the U.S. is used for making cheese.

The cotton gin first came to Kansas in 1854 when a Polish immigrant wanted to gin local cotton near Valley Falls.

A common ingredient in fertilizer is phosphate, which comes from ancient sea life. Phosphate is one of many natural ingredients used to keep soil — and plants! — healthy.

One bushel of corn makes 2.8 gallons of ethanol.