Fun Facts

Did you know some of the fertilizer farmers add to the soil comes from the air we breathe? Companies can convert nitrogen in the air into nitrogen to nourish the ground.

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.

One bale of cotton can make 4,312 mid-calf socks.

Small engines like lawnmowers and boats can use E10 fuel.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

One bushel of corn fed to livestock produces 5.6 pounds of retail beef, 13 pounds of retail pork, 19.6 pounds of chicken or 28 pounds of catfish.

For a dessert to officially be considered ice cream, it must contain at least 10 percent milkfat.

About four percent of the land in Kansas is part of conservation or wetland reserve programs.

Output from Kansas agriculture has a direct economic impact of $22.5 billion per year.

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

One cowhide can produce enough leather to make 20 footballs, 18 soccer balls, 18 volleyballs or 12 basketballs.

Dairy farmers work with animal nutritionists to create recipes that meet the specific nutritional requirements of their cows. A cow’s diet is a combination of hay, grain, silage and proteins,...

In 2018, farmers in Kansas planted 165,000 acres of cotton, which produced about 335,000 bales!

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.

In addition to meat, pigs provide us with lots of other products, including valves for human heart surgery, suede for shoes and clothing, and gelatin for many food and non-food uses.

Did you know that Americans consume about 132 pounds of wheat flour per person each year?