Food Value / Production Chart

Cultivation

The cultivation of corn is the first step in the food value/production chart. This stage consists of preparing the land (removing weeds, leveling out the farmland) as well as cultivating the soil (by adding nutrient, loosening it) to create the optimal conditions for planting the corn. Next, the strain of corn that needs to be planted is decided, and the seeds for that particular strain of corn is acquired. After acquiring said seeds, they are planted in a specific pattern to ensure maximum plant growth and fertilizer is added to ensure that the plants get the proper nutrient. An important step of cultivation is also weed and pest management, which ensures that the seeds/plants stay unharmed and grow healthily. When the corn is fully grown, it is harvested. The final stage of cultivation is cleaning and storage, in which the harvested corn is cleaned and properly packaged to prevent spoilage and make it to its next destinatinon.

Ethanol

One of the possible products that corn can be turned into after harvesting is ethanol, which is an alcohol that is extensively used in both biofuel and cleaners. 

Gasoline Companies/Cleaners

After milling/processing the corn to create ethanol, the product is then distributed to gasoline companies so that they can use it in their biofuel mixtures. It is also distributed to companies that want to use the ethanol as a cleaning alcohol, most commonly seen in hand sanitizer. These products are then made available for consumption by the consumer. 

Factory Processing

Processing of the harvested corn in factories is by far the most saturated section of the food value/production chart. A wide variety of products can be made as a result of different factory processing techniques, which are split into the two categories (edible & non-edible) below.

Consumer (Edible)

The edible products of processed corn are probably the ones that most people are familiar with. The main example would be canned corn that is sourced and packaged in factories and found in almost every supermarket store. Most restaurants that use corn in their dishes also receive their corn in bulk quantities from factories. Another familiar product of processed corn that shows up in a lot of candies and baked goods is corn syrup or high fructose corn syrup. Corn starch is also a popular one, used as a thickening agent for liquid ingredients in many areas of cooking and food production. Other possible forms that corn can be processed into at the factory include corn meal (used as a crusting), corn flour (used to make bread/tortilla), and corn oil. 

Consumer (Non-Edible)

While most people are familiar with corn in its consumable form for humans, processing corn in different ways can give it numerous other purposes. For one, corn and the other parts of the corn plant (stalks, leaves, cobs) are an extremely popular choice of animal feed because of its availability and nutritional content. Corn (or more specifically corn starch) is also used in the pharmaceutical industry as a binder for drugs to hold tablets together. It is also used as a coating for pills which helps with the disintegration and delivery process once the pill is ingested. Corn starch can also be turned into a bioplastic, with a variety of uses such as those in 3D printing. Corn (or more specifically Zea Mays) is also found in cosmetic products and acts as a absorbent for oil on the skin. Other such uses of corn also include being used as an absorbent for toilet paper/diapers, acting as a cleaning agent/build-up remover in toothpaste, and being used as a color source for crayons. 

Sold Locally by the Ear

Finally, corn can also be simply be sold locally by the ear after cultivation. In the food value/production chart, this is the simplest path as no processing has to happen in the middle. In this case, farmers may have their own store/market at which the sell their harvested corn by the ear, or they may sell their corn through another local market. 

Food Value/Production Chart in the Midwest & at UIUC:

For corn in the Midwest and at UIUC, everything is mechanized and industrialized. This includes every process, from planting the seeds to harvesting the corn. Mainly, Midwestern corn is used for ethanol production, animal feed, and the starch from corn is used in chemical processes, sweeteners, and plastics. Outside of the Midwest, farmers will use less machinery (China or Oaxaca for example) and contribute to a shorter production scale.