When it comes to corn, many people are familiar with sweet corn, the delicious variety enjoyed fresh on the cob or in salads. However, the most plentiful kind of corn in the world is field corn. While some might think all corn looks the same, there’s actually a significant difference between sweet corn and field corn.
While sweet corn is harvested fresh at its peak sweetness for human consumption, field corn is left in the field longer to mature and dry on the stalk, resulting in starchy kernels primarily used as cattle feed or in the production of ethanol. This distinction is important, as field corn plays a vital role in livestock nutrition and the production of ethanol and various food products.
Here, we’ll examine sweet corn vs. field corn, so you’ll understand why one ends up on your plate and the other is used to feed animals or produce ethanol. We’ll also uncover common corn uses!
What Is Field Corn?
Field corn is by far the most common type of corn in the United States, and 99% of corn grown in Nebraska is field corn. This variety of corn is so plentiful, that if you see a large field of corn while driving along the Cornhusker State’s highways and interstates in the summer—it’s most likely field corn.
Field corn is harvested in the fall after the corn plants are dry and mature. Farmers harvest field corn by driving combines, which pick the dried corn plants and separate the hard, dry corn kernels from the cob.
After harvest, the result is bushels and bushels of golden, dry field corn kernels with the distinctive dent on the top—which is the reason field corn is sometimes called “dent corn.”
Common Field Corn Uses
The most common uses for field corn are as an ingredient in livestock feed and to make ethanol biofuel. Many species of livestock eat field corn in some form or fashion, but it is most often associated with cattle feed.
So, why can cows eat corn? Field corn serves as a valuable source of nutrients in the diet of many types of cattle. Typically, cattle often consume corn in one of two forms: as whole kernels or commercially produced feed. Both forms of corn feed can enhance cattle’s energy intake and overall growth.
However, other forms of field corn are often fed to cattle. Dairy cows eat corn silage, which is a highly nutritious blend of chopped up, fermented corn plants. Two high-protein byproducts of the ethanol-making process, corn gluten meal and distillers’ grains, are often included in the mix of rations fed to growing beef cattle. And many farmers turn their cattle out in the fields after harvest so they can eat the leftover cornstalks and ears of field corn left behind by the combines.
What about people? Can people eat field corn? While fresh field corn can technically be eaten by people, most would agree it isn’t the tastiest way to enjoy corn. Fresh field corn is starchier, not as juicy and not nearly as sweet as sweet corn. Usually, if people eat field corn it’s in the form of products made from the corn. For example, yellow corn chips are a popular food made from field corn.
What Is Sweet Corn?
Sweet corn is the delicious corn humans eat fresh. Sometimes just called corn-on-the-cob, sweet corn is juicy, fresh and—just like the name says—sweet! A row of sweet corn plants looks similar to field corn, but if you look closely, you’ll see that sweet corn is not as tall as field corn.
Unlike field corn, which is harvested in the fall when the kernels and cornstalks are brown and dry, sweet corn is picked in the summer while the stalk is still green, and the corn kernels are plump and juicy.
Typical Sweet Corn Uses
The main use for sweet corn is human consumption. Any time you eat corn-on-the-cob or forms of corn kernels such as canned corn or frozen corn, you’re eating sweet corn. Other food products, such as corn salsas, also use sweet corn.
What Is White Corn?
Nebraska is one of the leading producers in the world of both field corn and sweet corn, but white corn is also one of the types of corn grown by the state’s farmers. In fact, Nebraska’s farmers are the leading producers of white corn in the country!
Similar to field corn, white corn is harvested when the kernels are dry and hard. However, instead of being fed to cattle, white corn is usually a food-grade corn made into human food products.
White Corn Uses
White corn is made into a wide variety of corn-based food products. The most common food products made from white corn are tortillas, tortilla chips and corn chips. In fact, a leading manufacturer of corn chips bought white corn from Nebraska and decided to build a plant here!
So, while there are many types of corn, there are key differences between field corn and sweet corn. Both are important sources of nutrition, but field corn is for livestock and sweet corn is enjoyed by humans.
