Ag Facts
Facts about Farming
- Today’s American Farmer feeds about 155 people compared to 26 in 1960.
- Nearly two million people farm or ranch in the United States. Almost 90 percent
of U.S. farms are operated by individuals or family corporations. And American
agriculture provides jobs—including production agriculture, farm inputs,
processing and marketing, along with retail and wholesale sales–for 15 percent
of the U.S. population. - Agriculture is America’s #1 Export
- The Agricultural industry employs 20% of America’s Workforce, or approximately 21 million people.
- Agricultural Land provides Habitat for 75% of the Nation’s Wildlife
- One acre is about the size of a football field without its end zones.
Illinois Agriculture Facts
- Illinois’ 76,000 farms cover more than 28 million acres — nearly 80 percent of
the state’s total land area. - Each year, 274 million bushels of Illinois corn are used to produce more
ethanol than any other state — about 678 million gallons. - Illinois ranks 1st in Soybeans
- Illinois ranks 2nd in Corn
- Illinois ranks 4th in Hog Production
- Illinois also ranks 1st in Pumpkins and Horseradish
Facts about all Cattle
- Cows are ruminants or cud-chewing animals eating hay, corn, soybeans, grass, wheat, and silage. Each cow eats 20 to 25 pounds of grain, 40 to 60 pounds of silage, 30 pounds of hay and drinks about 15 to 25 gallons of water a day.
- A cow has 4 stomachs. They are: the rumen, where the food is first stored, the reticulum where food that has been more thoroughly chewed is stored once the cow has chewed the cud and has swallowed it; the omasum where extra water is squeezed out, and finally the food goes to the abomasum.
Beef Cattle Facts
- Hamburger meat from a single steer will make about 720 quarter pound hamburger patties. That’s enough for a family of 4 to enjoy hamburgers each day for nearly 6 months.
Dairy Cattle Facts
- In a year’s time a dairy cow produces 1,500 gallons or 6,000 quarts of milk.
- The average U.S. dairy cow produces 22.5 quarts of milk each day. That’s about 16,000 glasses of milk per year – enough for about 40 people. One cow can give 200,000 glasses of milk in a lifetime.
Soybean Facts
- Soy crayons have been created to replace toxic petroleum-wax crayons, soy crayons are sager to use, brighter in color, and less expensive to produce.
- One acre (43,560 square feet) of soybeans can produce 82,368 crayons.
Field Corn Facts
- A bushel of corn can sweeten 400 cans of soda, make 38 boxes of corn flakes or produce more than 2.5 gallons of ethanol.
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