Fun Facts

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

The largest market for field corn is to provide feed for animals like cattle, pigs, chicken, and even catfish. 

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

It takes five to six months for a pig to reach market weight (about 265 pounds). One market hog provides about 160 pounds of pork for the grocery store’s meat case.

One bushel of corn makes 2.8 gallons of ethanol.

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

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

Looking for a gluten-free grain? Try sorghum! It's gluten-free and packed with protein, iron, vitamin B-6, niacin, magnesium and phosphorus.  

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

Did you know cotton is becoming a big crop in Kansas? Last year, farmers here produced over 164 million pounds of cotton! 

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

One acre of soybeans can make 82,368 crayons!

More than 87 percent of land in Kansas is farmland.

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.

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.  

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.