Skip to content

GRAPHIC: Most American corn isn’t destined for the dinner table

The majority of corn produced in the U.S. is used in animal feed and biofuel.

Why you can trust Investigate Midwest /Content type: Explainer
GRAPHIC: Most American corn isn’t destined for the dinner table
Corn harvest begins on the Ken Dalenberg farm north of Mansfield, Illinois, on Monday, Sept. 13, 2021. photo by Darrell Hoemann, Investigate Midwest

Less than 2% of the corn grown in American fields is directly consumed in cereal and other food products, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Over the past decade, another 7% of U.S. corn has been turned into corn starch, high fructose corn syrup, glucose and dextrose, common ingredients in a variety of food products.

The vast majority is used as animal feed or in ethanol, the USDA data shows.

Exports, the third-largest destination for American corn, slowly increased since the 2012-13 market year.

Code Embed: Cannot use CODEcorn as a global code as it is being used to store 2 unique pieces of code in 2 posts

Top image: Corn harvest begins on an Illinois farm in late 2021. photo by Darrell Hoemann, Investigate Midwest

More in Data Harvest

See all

More from Madison McVan, Investigate Midwest

See all