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Corn field in Hazel Dell Township, USA
Heavenly heartland
The rustle of cornstalks, chirping of crickets and distant roar of jet engines is all you're likely to hear this deep in the heartland of the Midwest US state of Iowa. Checkered from border to border with rolling cornfields like this, the Hawkeye State leads the country in corn growing, regularly producing more than two billion bushels in a year.But only a tiny portion of that corn will be munched off a cob or scooped from a can. Sweet corn barely makes 1% of the US corn crop (and sorry, snack lovers, but the poppable cultivar is even less common). The vast bulk of the harvest is field corn, destined to become ethanol fuel or livestock feed.
Heavenly heartland
The rustle of cornstalks, chirping of crickets and distant roar of jet engines is all you're likely to hear this deep in the heartland of the Midwest US state of Iowa. Checkered from border to border with rolling cornfields like this, the Hawkeye State leads the country in corn growing, regularly producing more than two billion bushels in a year.But only a tiny portion of that corn will be munched off a cob or scooped from a can. Sweet corn barely makes 1% of the US corn crop (and sorry, snack lovers, but the poppable cultivar is even less common). The vast bulk of the harvest is field corn, destined to become ethanol fuel or livestock feed.
Anyone writing off this US state as country to flyover is missing out on a peaceful pastoral getaway.
© Vath. Sok / 500px Prime / Getty Images 2026-09-11 08:45:51 :