A Picture of an Ear of Corn

Corn Facts

  • Name: Corn, maize
  • Type of Food: Cereal grain
  • Produced From: Maize (Zea mays)
  • Total Calories: 32 (1 ounce serving, whole kernel corn)
  • Total Fat: 0.3 grams (1 ounce serving, whole kernel corn)
  • Total Protein: 0.9 grams (1 ounce serving, whole kernel corn)
  • Total Carbohydrates: 6.6 grams (1 ounce serving, whole kernel corn)

29 Corn Facts for Kids

  1. Corn is a domesticated cereal crop that is grown for consumption and other applications.
  2. Corn is a member of the zea genus.
  3. The scientific binominal name for corn is zea mays.
  4. Corn is also known as maize outside of the United States of America.
  5. Corn is usually yellow, but can come in a wide variety of colors, like green, red and white.
  6. Corn is commonly referred to as a vegetable, but scientifically and botanically its both a grain and a fruit.
  7. An average corn plant will grow up to 10 feet in height.
  8. An ear of corn on average has about 800 kernels in 16 rows, but it can have as few as 500 or as many as 1,200.
  9. An ear of corn has one silk strand for every kernel.
  10. A bushel of corn weights about 56 pounds.
  11. Corn is grown on six of the seven continents worldwide; the exception is Antarctica.
  12. In 2017, the largest producer of corn was the United States of America with over 400 million tons.
  13. In 2017, the entire world produced over 1.25 billion tons of corn.
  14. The corn belt is an area in the United States where the majority of corn is grown.
  15. Corn is used in a wide variety of food products and is consider a staple food in many countries.
  16. One cup of corn (145 grams) has 125 calories.
  17. One cup of corn (145 grams) has 2 grams of fat.
  18. One cup of corn (145 grams) has no cholesterol.
  19. One cup of corn (145 grams) has 22 milligrams of sodium (salt).
  20. One cup of corn (145 grams) has 27 grams of carbohydrates.
  21. One cup of corn (145 grams) has 5 grams of protein.
  22. One cup of corn (145 grams) has 3 milligrams of calcium, 1 milligram of iron and 390 milligrams of potassium.
  23. Corn is used to sweeten food in the form of corn syrup.
  24. One corn bushel is able to sweeten around 400 cans of soda pop.
  25. Corn is one of the primary sources of livestock feed and fodder.
  26. Corn is used in the production of several products, like adhesives, fabrics and plastics.
  27. Corn is used to produce biofuels and is primary source of ethanol production in the United States of America.
  28. Popcorn is a food that is made by heating up corn kernels until they expand.
  29. Corn is a commodity traded by investors, traders and price speculators.

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Additional Resources on Corn