In Washington, D.C., issues currently being monitored are the Renewable Fuels Standard, implementation of the Farm Bill and the Waters of the United States ruling. In 2012, the MCGA hosted a roundtable discussion with U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow and United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack at the Michigan Corn office. In the past year, members have also met with legislators during the NCGA Corn Congress in Washington D.C., provided committee testimony on the Farm Bill and other issues, participated in Ag Day at the Capitol and hosted legislative farm tours.
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Corn Production
How much corn is grown in the United States?
In 2014, farmers grew more than 14.2 billion bushels of corn on 83 million acres of land.
Source: USDA
How much corn is grown in Michigan?
Michigan's corn farmers harvested the largest crop on record in 2014, with a total production of more than 355 million bushels.
Source: USDA
How much corn is grown on one acre?
Last year, the national average was 171 bushels per acre while the average yield in Michigan was estimated 161 bushels per acre.
Source: USDA
Uses for Corn
How is Michigan’s corn crop used?
In 2014, there was a surplus of about seven percent of Michigan’s corn crop. Most of the crop was exported out-of-state. The majority of corn that is exported out of Michigan goes to the Southeast United States and is fed to livestock. Twenty-seven percent of the crop was used to make ethanol and during the process distillers grains are made. Distillers grains are a high-protein livestock feed that displace the need for about 18 million bushels of corn. In addition to the DDGs fed to livestock, 20 percent of the corn crop was fed to animals in Michigan. More information is available on the Corn Uses page.
Source: PRX June 2014
How much ethanol do you get from a bushel of corn?
Many ethanol plants now produce 2.8 gallons of ethanol, about 17 pounds of animal feed and about 0.6 pounds of corn oil from each bushel of corn.
Where can I find products made from corn-based PLA?
The list of products and sources keeps changing as new PLA products are introduced. One source to check is our Corn-Based Products Guide. The guide provides an overview of how PLA is made from corn, frequently asked questions about PLA and a brief listing of some of the products made from corn and PLA.
Ethanol
With the increased production of ethanol how has corn usage changed over the years?
Can I use ethanol in my car?
All cars made after 1980 can run on blends of E10 or higher. In Michigan, stations are not required to label E10. The majority of unleaded fuel at Michigan gas stations is E10. Newer cars called flex fuel vehicles – or FFVs – are designed to run on any blend up to 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol, called E85. Most automakers have flex fuel models, and the cost difference is negligible. You may already have an FFV and not even know it.
Source: Growth Energy
Is ethanol good for the environment?
Ethanol is made from a renewable resource – plants – making it a sustainable fuel that we’ll never run out of. It burns clean and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 59 percent from “well to wheel,” helping to make the air cleaner for all of us. It also reduces our need for foreign oil – by 661,000 barrels a day – saving resources used for transportation and reducing the risk of harmful oil spills. While many other renewable energy options are still on the drawing board, today’s ethanol works in the cars we already have and reduces tailpipe emissions by 30 percent.
Source: Growth Energy
