Fun Facts

Grains can be categorized into food grains (for people) and feed grains (for cattle). Cattle eat feed grains like field corn and grain sorghum. An average of 4 ½ pounds of grain is used to produce a...

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

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

Kansas is the top state for growing and storing wheat.

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.  

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

Sows give birth (called farrowing) to an average of eight to twelve piglets at a time and will raise six to eight litters of piglets in their lifetime.

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! 

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

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.

One dairy cow can produce more than 3,000 gallons of milk in a year. There are about 160,000 dairy cows in Kansas. That's a lot of milk!

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. 

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

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

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

The United States grows more soybeans than any other country and six out of every ten rows of soybeans are exported to other countries.

Did you know Kansas has more than 2 million pigs?

One bushel of corn makes 2.8 gallons of ethanol.

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

Kansas is known for its sunflowers. They provide food for insects, birds and cattle, and make great cooking oil, biofuel and a delicious snack for people!