Average planting dates in Nebraska range from
April 15 to June 5, but the majority of Nebraska’s corn acres
are planted between April 25 and May 20. Average
harvesting dates range from September 10 to November 25, but the majority
of acres are harvested between September 30 and October 30.
Corn components can be
found in thousands of products—food,
soft drinks, fuel, paper, drugs, cosmetics and cleansers,
just to name a few. Corn is also replacing petroleum
in many industrial applications, from compostable plastic
containers to fabric for clothing and bedding.
A bushel began as a measure
of volume, but the accepted standard
for a bushel of corn is now measured
in weight: 56 pounds. That’s for shelled
corn, after the husks and cobs are removed. A bushel
basket is roughly the same size as a round clothesbasket.
Officially, one
acre is 4,840 square yards or 43,560 square feet. It’s
about the same size as a standard football field.
The number of kernels per ear can vary from 500 to about 1,200, but a typical ear would have 600-900 kernels, according to corn experts.
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