2017-2018 Grundy County Farm Bureau Agriculture in the Classroom Corn Lesson Booklet Student Version For more information contact: Grundy County Farm Bureau Ann Collet, Ag Literacy Coordinator 4000 N. Division, Morris, IL 60450 815.942.6400 aitc@grundycfb.com www.grundycfb.com 1
Corn Words to Know Acre: [ey-ker] A unit of measure of the land that measures area. We measure our fields in acres. An acre is about the size of a football field. There are 43,560 square feet in an acre. Agriculture: [ag-ri-kuhl-cher] The science of producing plants and animals for food and fiber. Biodegradable: [bahy-oh-di-grey-duh-buhl] Able to be broken down into harmless basic elements by the actions of living things, such as microorganisms. For example: an apple core or corn. Bushel: [boosh-uhl] A unit of measure. A bushel of corn weighs 56 pounds. Combine: [kuhm-bahyn] A machine used to harvest grain. The name comes from combining three functions: reaping, threshing, and winnowing. Cornbelt: [kawrn- belt] A geographic area of the United States that produces over 75 percent of the corn grown. States included are: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Cultivate: [kuhl-tuh-veyt] Preparing the seedbed or removing weeds during the growing season. This is similar to hoeing a garden. Cultivating helps get rid of the weeds that compete with the corn plant for water and nutrients. Ethanol: [eth-uh-nawl] An alcohol that can be made from grains. Most ethanol is made from corn and it is blended with gasoline to make a cleaner-burning, more efficient fuel for our vehicles. Fertilizer: [fur-tl-ahy-zer] A special food for plants. Germinate: [jur-muh-neyt] The process of a seed beginning to grow. In order to germinate an embryo uses food stored in the seed. Warmth and water help germination. Insecticide: [in-sek-tuh-sahyd] A crop protectant, which keeps insects from ruining the crop. Planting: (plant-ing) Placing seed in the soil. The implement used to plant is called a planter. The machine drops the kernels into rows and then presses the soil around each kernel Renewable Resource: [ri-noo, -nyoo- ree-sawrs] A resource that can be made again after it is used. For example: corn; farmers can grow corn each year to make ethanol and biodegradable plastics. Row Crops: [roh- krop] Plants grown for money, which are planted, tilled and harvested in rows. The main row crops in Grundy County are corn and soybeans. Yields: [yeeld] The amount of crop harvested. 2
The Story of Corn Thousands of years ago people in Central America planted the seeds of a wild. Scientists believe that this ancient plant was a tall stalk with one small of corn on top. Our ancestors planted and cared for this grain which they called. It took hundreds of years for these plants to grow stronger and the ears longer. During this time, people found that corn was good for them to eat. It made them grow strong. Native tribes in North America also began to grow corn. When landed in North America in 1492, the Native People were growing six different kinds of corn. They were,,,, and. The Native People were expert farmers. The women took care of the crops while the men hunted. was the Native s main source of food. They ate some of the corn fresh from the fields. They saved some corn for seed. And the rest they ground into on a flat stone called a. The Native People ate the cornmeal dry, made it into bread or cooked it into mush. Corn on the cob, tortillas, tacos and tamales were favorite foods made from corn. They also enjoyed eating popcorn and candy. Corn was so important to their life that some Native People prayed to. At planting and harvest festivals each tribe danced its own. 3
When the pilgrims came to America, corn saved them from starving in their new homeland. Friendly Native People welcomed the pilgrims by giving them the dried grain to eat and plant. On the first the pilgrims and Native People gave thanks for the corn harvest, as the Native People had done for many years. Since the time of the pilgrims and Native People, scientists and farmers have taken the six kinds of corn and developed many different varieties and hybrids. Today corn is used to make food products such as, and. Corn is also used to feed and to make non-food items including, and. Scientists and farmers continue to experiment with corn. They are working to make new varieties of corn with more and better protein. Just as corn saved the pilgrims from starvation, corn continues to feed many hungry WORD LIST Animals Cereals Christopher Columbus Corn Corn dance Corn gods Cornmeal Corn oil Corn stalk Cornstarch Dent corn Ear Ethanol fuels Flint corn Flour corn Grass Medicines Metate Pod corn Popcorn Sweet corn Baby powder Thanksgiving 4
The Life of Corn A corn plant begins as a seed. This seed is called a. One kernel of corn grows a plant that produces new kernels. On one (the unit of measurement for land), if kernels are planted and grown, these plants will produce over new kernels. At planting time, before the seeds are placed in the, the farmer applies fertilizer, which will help feed the corn plant. The corn is put into the fertilized soil with a, which drops the kernels into rows and then presses the soil around each kernel. Farmers use seeds to grow reliable crops each year. A hybrid is created by crossing two or more corn plants. Usually, these seed kernels are not golden yellow in color, because they are coated with and, to stop fungi and insects from destroying the seeds before they get a chance to grow. These treated seeds may be various colors including pink, purple or green for example. With the warmth of the soil and the presence of water, the in the kernel starts to grow, using the stored in the seed. This process is the beginning of. A primary root grows down to gather water and nutrients for growth. Rolled up leaves covered by a protective shield starts moving up to the surface. It takes for a corn seed to germinate. 5
When the leaves break through the soil, they no longer need the food stored in the kernel. The leaves can now make food for the plant through. This process stores food as in the leaves. The roots take up water and nutrients to turn the sugars in the leaves into. While the corn plants are still small, a farmer may apply and to help the small plants grow and protect them from weed competition. The leaves of the corn plant are wrapped tightly around each other at the base to give. also grow out of the bottom of the stalk to give support. The grows at the top of the maturing corn plant. It is made of little pouches that hold. Halfway down the plant, an starts to develop. Usually, a corn plant will produce 1 or 2 ears. At the end of each ear are little soft strands called. There is one silk for every developing kernel on the ear. Pollen falls from the tassel onto the silks. The pollen travels through the silk similar to liquid going down the inside of a straw. When the pollen gets to the ear, takes place, which produces a new seed on the ear. It takes for a kernel of corn to grow into a plant and produce a mature ear of corn. When the corn is dry enough to be picked or the farmer will go through the field in a large.the combine will cut off the corn plant, remove the ears of corn and 6
and separate the kernels from the cob. The chopped up parts of the corn plant exit the back of the combine and are left in the field to protect the soil and to provide nutrients for next year s crop. WORD LIST FOR PAGES 5-6 800 32,000 25 million Acre Brace roots Combine Cultivate Ear Embryo Fertilization Fertilizer Food Four months or 120 days Fungicide Germination Harvested Herbicide Hybrid Insecticide Kernel One week Photosynthesis Planter Pollen Proteins Silks Soil Sugars Support Tassel 7
You Can Gas Up By Pumping Corn Scientists are working to find new ways to use less gasoline and reduce air pollution. One answer is growing in our cornfields! Ethanol can be used alone or added to gasoline to make supplies go farther. It burns cleaner to reduce air pollution. In the U.S. most ethanol is made from our #1natural resource CORN. Most of the gas we buy is 10 percent ethanol. Some cars can even use fuel that is 85 percent ethanol and only 15 percent gasoline. Ethanol is an environmentally friendly fuel: It burns cleaner than gasoline to reduce air pollution. It is a renewable resource. When we need more fuel, we grow more corn! It stretches the supply of gasoline. That means we don t have to use or buy as much crude oil to make our gasoline. There s more good news! When we make ethanol-blended gasoline, we don t have to buy as much oil from other countries. This means that we don t have to depend on other countries around the world - and we don t have to use as much energy to transport the oil across the ocean. From Plant to Plastic Can you believe it? Corn grown right here in Illinois helps make landfills across America smaller? How? By replacing typical plastic waste with plastics that are entirely biodegradable. Plastic can be made from corn, which is a renewable resource, instead of the more commonly used petroleum oil, which is NOT renewable. The corn makes the plastic biodegradable in a normal landfill situation, yet can be used just like the old plastics from petroleum. Corn plastic is helping us keep our conveniences while becoming more environmentally responsible! Paper or Plastic?.or Corn? Many stores have begun using biodegradable shopping bags. Even Brookfield Zoo, near Chicago, has started to use plastic silverware made from corn. During the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, more than 35 million pieces of tableware, straws, and drink cup lids were made from biodegradable corn plastic. People think of new uses for biodegradable plastics almost every day For example, one ski slope is considering changing lift tickets to biodegradable plastic so when the snow melts there will be less litter. Another company is using this new plastic to make casings for fireworks. When fireworks explode, the casings fall to the earth and decompose. To make your own corn plastic, check out the Corn Ag Mag! 8
FROM ONE BUSHEL There are thousands of uses for corn. More than 2,000 food and non-food products use corn as a main ingredient. In 2016, 38.4% of the total crop was fed to livestock, 28.9% was used in the production of ethanol, and 15.3% was exported to other countries. Finally, 17.4% was used for industrial and other uses. FROM ONE BUSHEL OF FIELD CORN A typical bushel of corn weighs 56 pounds and contains approximately 72,800 kernels. That one bushel will provide: 31.5 pounds of starch for adhesives, batteries, detergents, paper, crayons, biodegradable plastics, dyes, plywood, antibiotics or chewing gum -OR- 33 pounds of sweetener for soft drinks and juices, cereal, licorice, peanut butter, pickles, marshmallows -OR- 22.4 pounds of PLA fiber/polymer -OR- 2.8 gallons of ethanol fuel -PLUS- 17.5 pounds of distillers dried grains -OR- 13.5 pounds of gluten feed -OR- 2.6 pounds of gluten meal -OR- 1.5 pounds of corn oil 2016 actual U.S. corn crop: 15,148,038,000 bushels 2016 actual Illinois corn crop: 2,255,650,000 bushels 2016 actual Grundy County corn crop: 17,202,000 bushels 2016 actual Will County corn crop: 15,522,000 bushels 9
The Corn Plant Ear of Corn Tassel (contains pollen) Stalk Cob Ears Leaf Brace Roots Soil line Roots Growth Stages of Corn 10
A Golden Nugget Connect the dots to construct one of natures wonders, a kernel of corn. ENDOSPERM (en d spurm) The source of energy and protein (starch) for the seed. There are two types of endosperm, soft and hard. Loss of moisture from the soft endosperm causes the dent in the top of the kernel of corn. PERICARP ( per i kärp) The outer covering of the kernel that protects it from insects. TIP CAP The area not covered by the pericarp. It is where the kernel connects to the cob. GERM The only living part of the seed. This part of the kernel of corn contains the genetic information and all the necessary nutrients for the kernel to develop into a corn plant. Corn oil is an important part of the germ.. 11
The Corn Belt Illinois is one of the twelve states in an area known as the Corn Belt. Illinois is the second largest producer of corn. Each year, Illinois produces enough corn to fill up the Sears Tower! Locate the 12 Corn Belt states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan. Use their abbreviations to mark them. Over 75 % of the corn grown in the U.S. is produced in the Corn belt states. 12
Acres And Acres of Corn Acres of corn harvested from the Corn Belt States 1,000 Acres Harvested Round to the Nearest 500 Michigan 2,000 Illinois 11,450 Indiana 5,470 Iowa 13,500 Kansas 4,920 Minnesota 8,000 Missouri 3,500 Nebraska 9,550 Ohio 3,300 South Dakota 5,130 Kentucky 1,400 Wisconsin 3,220 After you have rounded the number of acres harvested to the nearest 500, plot the location on the graph below. Then color in the form a bar graph. 14000 13000 12000 11000 10000 9000 8000 7000 6000 5000 4000 3000 2000 1000 0 13
Be A Label Reader! To find out what a food product is made from, you need to read the label for the list of ingredients. The item listed first is the ingredient contained in the greatest amount, with the rest of the ingredients named in decreasing order. The ingredients in the cracker snack all contain corn in some form. Below are the labels for some of those ingredients. See if you can find the corn in each one. SHAKE-A-SACK CRACKER SNACK In a medium paper sack or a large plastic bag combine: 1 cup pretzels 2 cups corn Chex cereal 3 cups Fritos 2 cups Sun Chips 1 cup Kix cereal 1-4-ounce package buttermilk or ranch salad dressing mix ½ teaspoon dried dill weed Close the bag and shake until everything is mixed together well. Pour ¼ cup corn oil into the paper sack or plastic bag. Shake together well. Store in a closed plastic bag or a tightly covered container. (You may use cheese crackers or oyster crackers or other combinations.) 14
Not only do researchers find ways to use corn, but many people have jobs that relate to corn or agriculture. Some examples are: Farmers, Grain Elevator Operator, Miller, Trucker, Agronomist, Conservationist, Grocer, Plant Geneticist, Ecologist, Printer, Biochemist, Extension Agent. What careers can you think of that involve corn? 15