Fun Facts

All the wheat grown in Kansas in a single year would fit in a train stretching from western Kansas to the Atlantic Ocean.

Cotton bolls, which are the puffs of white produced by cotton plants, are technically fruit.

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

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

There are more than 300 licensed dairy herds in Kansas with about 143,000 cows total. In 2015 cows produced about 365 million gallons of milk, making Kansas the 16th largest milk producing state.

One bale of cotton can make 1,256 pillowcases.

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

Kansas is the top state for growing and storing wheat.

A finished bale of cotton weighs about 480 pounds.

Enriched white bread and other enriched grain products are a good source of iron and B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and folic acid), as well as complex carbohydrates.

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.

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 Kansas has an official state soil? It's called Harney silt loam and it covers about 4 million acres of land in our state. 

Small engines like lawnmowers and boats can use E10 fuel.

Cotton can be found in much more than clothes and other fabrics! Cotton by-products can be used to make paper currency, cosmetics and feed for dairy cattle and livestock.

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

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!

There are more than 29 cuts of beef that meet government guidelines for lean, including tenderloin, T-bone steak and extra lean ground beef.

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

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

98 percent of all corn farms are family-run farms.