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Corn Seeds



Corn on the cob. Creamed corn. Cornbread. Popped corn. Corn syrup. Candy corn. Okay, maybe that last one isnt exactly corn (still pretty tasty come Halloween), but you get the idea. Corn its everywhere and in a lot of things. As Ive just listed, there are many uses for corn and the industry continues to find new ones. Did you know that corn production measures more than two times that of any other crop? No? How about the fact that there are SIX different kinds of corn kernels grown in the United States? Yes, six different types:

  1. Sweet corn: the type youll typically find at the grocery store.
  2. Popcorn: characterized by a tough outer shell. And a tasty snack.
  3. Flour corn: one of the oldest varieties of corn. Often ground down in used in baked goods.
  4. Dent corn: often referred to as field corn.
  5. Flint corn: named after its glassy, hard outer shell. Mostly grown in Central and South America.
  6. Pod corn: sometimes referred to as Indian corn. Typically used for ornamental purposes.

Of the six listed above, the type of corn used most widely is dent corn. Dent corn accounts for approximately 99% of all corn production in the U.S., according to NCGA.

A few uses of dent corn:

  1. Used as livestock feed
  2. Use to make natural corn syrup
  3. Industrial products like:
    1. Beverages
    2. Sanitizers
    3. Clean-burning ethanol for fuel:
      • Ethanol production plants employ fermentation and distillation processes to convert dent corn into ethanol. What makes dent corn particularly suitable for these processes is that much of the kernel is starch. This means dent corn is the most efficient raw material, one that is renewable and environmentally friendly.(Think Bioenergy)

If youre a farmer or someone looking to grow corn, Im going to assume youre growing dent corn. Possibly sweet corn. I could be wrong, but regardless, you already know the purpose and uses of the corn youre going to be planting and harvesting, you just might be unsure of where to find quality, reliable seeds.

East River can help with that. Click here to visit our products page and review the Northern Plains Seed Guide and/or the SD & SW Minnesota Seed Guide. It can be a lot of information to take in and it still might leave you with questions or concerns on which type of seed to choose. If thats the case, I strongly encourage you to work with a seed advisor. At East River, we partner with some of the best and would love to help you grow. Contact us today to learn more and find out how we can help you choose the right seed.

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