CornsTalk

  • Flex Fuel: What It Is and Why It’s Good for the Environment

    Flex fuel is a clean-burning, renewable and sustainable resource that can be blended with gasoline to reduce emissions and increase fuel efficiency for your vehicle. Using flex fuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50%, making it an attractive option for those who want to lower their carbon footprint. [...]

  • Flex Fuel: What It Is and Why It’s Good for the Environment

    Flex fuel is a clean-burning, renewable and sustainable resource that can be blended with gasoline to reduce emissions and increase fuel efficiency for your vehicle. Using flex fuel reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up [...]

  • Answered: Your Top Questions about High Fructose Corn Syrup

    High fructose corn syrup has been a target of much criticism in recent years, with some suggesting that it is more dangerous than other sweeteners. However, the truth is it can be used to [...]

  • Drought conditions are shown in dry soil next to a cornfield.

    Corn and Drought: How a Lack of Rain Impacts Farmers

    Drought can have a devastating effect on the yield of corn crops. When water is scarce in an area, the soil dries out and corn plants struggle to take up enough moisture to grow [...]

  • Ethanol percentages are displayed on a gas pump.

    13 Myths and Facts about Ethanol

    Ethanol is quickly becoming the fuel of the future. It's an eco-friendly choice that helps reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, while also supporting local farmers. Ethanol is most commonly produced from corn, [...]

  • Cows in a pasture.

    Why Farmers Feed Corn to Cattle Instead of Grass

    Cattle have been eating corn for centuries. Not only does corn provide cattle with a good balance of proteins and carbohydrates, but its high levels of essential fatty acids make it a great choice for [...]

  • A man holds a handful of dirt in a cornfield.

    From Seed to Stalk: How Farmers Plant and Grow Corn

    Corn farming is a complex skill, one that benefits from a deep understanding of the land as well as adaptable planning. Farmers must understand the soil and nutrient requirements while also observing how conditions [...]

  • An aerial view of corn growing in a cornfield.

    11 Facts You Didn’t Know About Nebraska Corn

    Corn is a staple in diets around the world and has been a vital source for nutrition for centuries. But despite the long history of corn and how important it is, there are probably [...]

  • Corn stalks sprouting in a field.

    Why Farmers Rotate Corn and Soybeans

    For farmers, understanding and properly utilizing crop rotation is essential to having a successful agricultural operation. Crop rotation has been used for centuries but only recently have the long-term impacts of this practice become [...]

  • A flock of chickens eats corn-based feed.

    Why Farmers Feed Corn to Their Cattle, Pigs and Chicken

    Corn products are an integral part of people’s daily lives, both here in the United States and around the world. But did you also know it’s the foundation of diets for many livestock animals? [...]

  • Career Guide: What Corn Farmers Do and How Much They Make

    Corn farming is a rewarding career that provides a special way of life hard to find anywhere else. Farmers spend much of their time outdoors and are in tune with their land. Their job is [...]

  • All in the Family: Nebraska’s Rich Farming Heritage

    Whenever you dip a crispy tortilla chip into guacamole or dig into a pile of buttered sweet corn, it’s a moment of deliciousness made possible by corn farmers. Chances are the corn in those [...]

  • How Corn-Based Deicer Keeps Roadways Clear During Winter

    In much of the country, a blanket of snow is a welcome, picturesque site. Snow-covered hills and ice glistening on tree branches does make for a lovely photo op, but it also can make for [...]

  • Why Snow Is So Important for Farmers During Drought

    For yet another year, much of the country faced hot and dry conditions during the summer. While these extended dry conditions were a hindrance or inconvenience to some, they are extremely challenging and potentially [...]

  • Cornfield

    History of Corn: From Ancient Grain to Modern Maize

    Corn is part of the everyday lives of people around the world. It’s in the food we eat, is often found in the fuel of the cars we drive and is a component in many [...]

  • 4 Surprising Ways Technology Has Transformed Farming

    Many years ago, farming was a laborious and tedious process that involved walking behind a harnessed horse or mule as it pulled a single-blade plow, furrowing one row at a time. While the agricultural industry [...]

  • An irrigation system applies water to a cornfield.

    Granular vs. Liquid Fertilizer: What’s Best for Corn Farmers

    Corn is a versatile plant that feeds the world, supplying the food that consumers across the globe know and need. However, people aren’t the only ones who need nourishment to be healthy. Corn needs it [...]

  • A drone flies above a field.

    4 Ways Drones Are Used in Agriculture

    As the agricultural landscape continues to evolve, producers are looking for new and exciting ways to increase their yields while also conserving resources and limiting their impact on the environment. One of the ways they [...]

  • What Happens to Corn After It’s Harvested?

    Corn is a staple crop across the world, used for food ingredients, animal feed, ethanol and a wide range of other uses. But field corn, especially the field corn grown across Nebraska, typically goes through [...]

  • A farmer adjusts smart farming equipment in his cornfield.

    Smart Farming: Agriculture of the Future

    For the vast majority of people, agriculture uses technology like tractors or combines. But did you know that today’s farmers use cutting-edge technology like lasers, robotics and intelligent software? With access to these tools, farmers [...]

  • A combine harvesting corn in Nebraska.

    How Corn Farmers Use Multispectral Imaging in the Field

    When people think of cutting edge-technology, they tend to think of big companies like Google or Amazon in big cities. But innovative tools have their place in every industry, including rural industries like agriculture. In [...]

  • You Asked, We Answered: Where All the Corn in Nebraska Goes

    Nebraska is the third largest corn-producing state in the United States. But what happens to all the corn our farmers grow? While some of it is exported internationally, much of Nebraska’s corn actually stays [...]

  • Octane ratings on a gas pump.

    How Ethanol Reduces Greenhouse Gases

    In 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reported farmers experienced a near-record high for corn production. U.S. growers produced 15.1 billion bushels, NASS said, which is the second-highest production on [...]

  • A barn, a grain bin and a cornfield.

    4 Ways Farmers Protect the Environment

    Farmers, like those in Nebraska, have a vested interest in protecting the environment. They use a wide range of tools and strategies to safeguard the soil, water, air quality and more. After all, healthy ecosystems [...]

  • A farmer holds up an ear of field corn while standing in a cornfield.

    How Corn Production’s Change Over Time Impacts Products

    From being used as a food source for Native Americans to being an integral part of many everyday products, corn's use has evolved greatly over time. The first record of corn being used as [...]

  • An irrigation system waters a cornfield.

    Five Ways Farmers Improve Sustainability

    Through advancements in technology, genetics and management, today’s farmers in Nebraska and across the country can grow more corn with less impact on the environment. That means they’re using less fertilizer, water and land [...]

  • Three Ways Corn Farmers Minimize Agriculture’s Impact on Air Pollution

    Air pollution poses a major threat to the environment and to our health. In fact, the World Health Organization says poor outdoor air quality is linked to increased risk of stroke, heart disease, lung cancer and chronic [...]

  • A woman pumps foaming soap onto her hands.

    10 Products You Didn’t Know Were Made with Corn

    Few crops are as versatile as corn. This humble grain can be used to make everything from tortillas to cornbread. In fact, corn is a key ingredient in many of your favorite foods. It [...]

  • Corn field with river in the back ground.

    5 Ways Farmers Protect Water Quality

    As farmers grow and raise the food we eat, they also work to keep the natural environment as untouched as possible. One of the most important ways they do this is by protecting local rivers, [...]

  • Sunset over a field

    How Cover Crops Improve Corn Harvest

    People unfamiliar with farming might assume that fertilizer is the only way to improve the growth and overall health of crops like corn. While fertilizer can be a useful tool, farmers are resourceful and often [...]

  • Blue handle ethanol gas pump in car

    How Ethanol Keeps Gas Prices Down

    Everyone with a car, lawn mower, motorcycle or other gasoline-powered machinery is feeling the pressure at the pump. Gas prices have remained high for several weeks (or months) now and they don’t seem to [...]

  • A farmer holds a handful of dirt.

    How Farmers Keep Soil Healthy

    As more people become engaged with where their food comes from and who is growing it, a central question comes into focus: Are we doing the best we can with the resources we have? [...]

  • Holding ponds for livestock manure.

    Water Conservation

    Q: What does it mean to “conserve water”? Denise: Conserving water means not using more water than necessary for any given purpose. For example, we use shade structures to keep our cattle cool and [...]

  • Soil Health

    Q: Why should we care if soil is healthy? Ruth: Healthy soil sustains our world’s food supply. When soil is healthy, the ecosystem within the soil has the optimum levels of structure, living organisms, nutrients [...]

  • Two women on a farm. One is holding hay in her hands.

    Sustainability

    sus•tain•a•bil•i•ty (noun) Supplying a growing world with food, fuel, feed and fiber — while safeguarding its resources for future generations. Our world’s natural resources matter. The agriculture industry depends upon clean water, soil and [...]

  • A farmer holds a handful of dirt.

    Greenhouse Gas Emissions

    Q: Is livestock destroying the atmosphere? Diane: When it comes to livestock emissions, the most common misconception I see is the idea that cattle are a major contributor to greenhouse gases and that [...]

  • Family vs. Corporate Farming

    Crystal raises cattle and crops with her family outside Columbus, Nebraska. What is the difference between family farming and corporate farming? Crystal: I think sometimes when people hear the term [...]

  • A herd of cows stand in a muddy field.

    Antibiotics & Hormones

    All of us want to ensure the food we’re feeding our families is safe to eat. Occasionally, food labels increase confusion about the safety of substances such as added hormones and antibiotics. Let’s explore [...]

  • A variety of different meat cuts in a grocery store meat case.

    Grass vs. Grain-Fed Beef – What’s the Difference?

    What’s the difference between grass and grain-fed beef? Sharon: The difference between grass and grain-fed beef boils down to what the animals eat. For at least part of their lives, all cattle on our ranch [...]

  • A cow sticks its nose through a metal gate.

    Animal Health

    You deserve to know that your food is safe and that it has been raised humanely. Dairy farmer Melisa Konecky from Wahoo, Nebraska, and poultry producer Karah Perdue from York, Nebraska, address concerns about [...]

  • A calf in a pasture.

    Animal Care

    Q: Should we be concerned about how animals are treated on the farm? Melisa: I love hearing that people care about the well-being and treatment of animals. Farmers, as a whole, have great respect for [...]

  • What to Know About the Labels on Your Food

    Q&A with CommonGround CommonGround is a national movement driven by farm women, whose mission is to share information about agriculture and how food is grown and raised. We caught up with CommonGround volunteer [...]

  • A woman walks with a cow in a field.

    In All Kinds of Weather

    Matthew Brugger will never forget the day he realized that his family’s line of work is different. It was the morning of his grandfather’s funeral. A morning when it would have been perfectly [...]

  • An example of how corn goes into cattle which then becomes food on your table.

    Farm-to-Table Explained

    As our nation’s urban areas grow, consumers in the grocery store are increasingly separated from the producers who grow the meat, fruit and vegetables they buy there. While consumers are sometimes able to purchase food directly from the [...]

  • Two farmers kneel in a cornfield while they examine the soil.

    New Ideas on Old Dirt

    How two brothers are closing the gap between their farm and your table Brugger brothers Joe and Matthew were born to work together – perhaps just like their dad and uncle before them, [...]

  • Monarch butterflies and bees flying.

    Farmers are Partnering to Protect the Environment

    For farmers and ranchers, prioritizing sustainability extends far beyond their own land. That’s how a unique initiative called Farmers for Monarchs was born.  Farmers for Monarchs is a collaborative effort that includes farmers, ranchers, landowners, researchers, academic institutions, [...]

  • From the Ground Up

    All healthy crops have to start somewhere. To be more specific – the ground. But hearty, high yielding crops can’t just sprout in any patch of dirt. In fact, “dirt” is really just the stuff [...]

  • Old As Dirt

    Conservation-centered agricultural practices are restorative for ecosystems above and below the Earth’s surface – and this is nothing new! Keith Byerly is a field manager with the Soil Health Partnership (SHP) – a [...]

  • The Untold Environmental Pros of Cow Poop

    You’ve surely seen the headlines. In recent years, the carbon footprint of livestock production has received a fair amount of criticism from environmentalists, journalists and even legislators. Some consumers have cited it as a [...]

  • Animated water flowing out of a faucet in a corn field.

    Using and Conserving Water

    Irrigation is almost as old as farming is. As irrigation techniques advance, water conservation is the key to maintaining robust world food production.  The goal of water conservation is not rocket science: be precise and [...]

  • An animated mom, child and baby with a grassy area behind them.

    Fueling a Cleaner Future

    When you stop at the gas station to top off your tank, how much thought do you put in to choosing the fuel that’s right for your car? For your wallet? For the environment? [...]

  • Field to Market

    Agriculture’s environmental footprint affects all of us, but it’s an especially high priority for the men and women who live and work within the agricultural supply chain. In 2006, a diverse group including farmers, [...]

  • Golden Triangle

    Nebraska is better situated in terms of corn, livestock and ethanol than any other state in the nation. Together, these three components form “Nebraska’s Golden Triangle,” which serves as a powerful economic engine for [...]

  • Norm Krug stands next to a sign for Preferred Popcorn.

    Nebraska Popcorn

    Popcorn has always been an important part of Norm Krug’s story. His father grew it for 40 years. To Norm, popcorn symbolizes quality time spent with family; gathered around an evening television program, enjoying [...]

  • Bioplastics

    The Problem Petroleum-based plastics are created using a man-made polymer called polyethylene terephthalate (or PET). Unlike other biodegradable materials such as food, or even newspapers, PET does not break down when exposed to the [...]

  • Improving Animals Through Genetic Innovation

    Breeding practices have been used for centuries to improve the usefulness of animals to humans—as sources of food, as a means of transportation, a way to get work done, or simply for companionship. “If [...]

  • An irrigation system waters a cornfield during the summer.

    Farmers Become Gamers in TAPS Competition

    It’s a unique combination of virtual farming and real life—with the winners claiming some very nice cash prizes. It’s called TAPS, Testing Ag Performance Solutions, an innovative competition created by Nebraska Extension that pits [...]

  • A gas pump shows options for gases containing ethanol blends.

    More choices at the pump: It’s a good thing.

    When you pull up to a flex fuel pump, there are a lot of options—and American Ethanol is responsible for providing most of them. The result is a wide range of choices—and a lot [...]

  • An ethanol plant next to a cornfield.

    Ethanol Simplified

    Straight answers to key questions about Nebraska’s clean air fuel. Nebraska’s ethanol industry is a major economic driver for the state: • Nebraska is the nation’s second largest ethanol producer with 2.18 billion [...]

  • The Nelson family stands by their Nelson Farms sign next to a cornfield.

    Ethanol Investment Creates C-Store Opportunity for Nelson Farm Family

    When Taylor Nelson of Jackson, Nebraska, graduated from UNL in 2012, the farm economy was on fire. Rents and land values were increasing at an unprecedented rate and farmers were snapping up every opportunity [...]

  • A farmer combines corn and transfers it to a grain wagon.

    Why family farms choose to incorporate

    Many people are surprised to learn that 99% of farms in America are family-owned. That statistic flies in the face of those who believe that we’ve “lost” the traditional family farm to large “corporate farming.” [...]

  • How the farmer’s daughter became a farmer

    Sarah Greer has always had farming in her blood. “When I graduated from high school, people asked me what I wanted to do when I got out of college. I said I [...]

  • Water is applied to a cornfield via an irrigation system.

    Water: The Lifeblood of Nebraska

    Aquamart: Positioning agriculture as a leader in water management Agriculture is the largest user of water not only in Nebraska, but around the globe. However, there are other stakeholders such as municipalities, recreation, wildlife, [...]

  • Blurry close up of rippling water.

    What is the Ogallala Aquifer?

    The facts behind Nebraska’s tremendous groundwater resources. What is an aquifer? An aquifer is an underground layer of permeable or “leaky” rock. The mixture of sediment and rock in these layers contains many holes [...]

  • Jacob Fritton and John Heaston, both of TNC, look at an irrigation canal near Ogallala, Nebraska.

    Farmers or Villains?

    Nebraska farmers working with leading environmental group to improve water efficiency. Farmers and environmental groups are frequently at odds with each other and don’t always see eye to eye. But that is changing in [...]

  • Field corn that's still on the cob is shown in a bin.

    Nebraska Corn Checkoff

    In 1978, the Nebraska Legislature established the Nebraska corn checkoff. In fact, it was the first corn checkoff in the nation to be approved. But it was corn farmers who led the charge. Forty [...]

  • An image showing population density of the world using people standing on a map.

    Why Global Trade Is So Important for Agriculture

    That’s why trade matters to Nebraska’s ag economy. With the productivity of U.S. agriculture growing faster than domestic demand, U.S. farmers and agricultural firms rely heavily on export markets to sustain prices and revenues. [...]

  • The remainders of cornstalks are shown in a snowy field during the winter.

    Why most farmers don’t plow their fields

    Ever wonder why more and more farmers are leaving “trash” in their fields after harvest? Those cornstalks, corn cobs and leaves are called “residue”— and they are helping farmers improve soil quality and manage [...]

  • Cross section of turf and soil.

    What makes a soil “healthy”?

    “The key to soil health is to strike the right balance between all of these components.” Soil health is defined as the continued capacity of a soil to function as a vital [...]

  • Tortilla chips

    What happens when trade agreements are renegotiated?

    U.S. agricultural exports have been larger than U.S. agricultural imports since 1960, generating a surplus in U.S. agricultural trade. This surplus helps counter the persistent deficit in non-agricultural U.S. merchandise trade. At the same [...]