Carbon Footprint of Corn Production: Emissions Calculator, Corn Processing

The carbon footprint of corn production is affected by a number of factors, as is the average American carbon footprint, and calculating its carbon footprint can be challenging.

Corn leaves a carbon footprint at every stage of its life cycle, from planting and harvesting to processing, and its invaluable addition to foods, as fuel, as well as its inclusion in a wide variety of other goods.

It is possible to calculate the carbon footprint of corn production by looking at each step of the process and assessing the impact of cultivating, processing, packaging, and shipping at each stage.

However, by starting at the beginning, you can measure the carbon footprint of corn, whether it’s ears of corn you buy in the supermarket, or grain used in process manufacturing.

This guide explains how.

How to Measure the Carbon Footprint of Corn

When measuring the carbon footprint of corn, each step in the process generates emissions.

According to USDA data from 2021, the average acre of corn uses an equivalent of 175 gallons of diesel fuel to be produced and processed.

Since most corn grain is used in everyday products and process manufacturing (like to create corn syrup and other corn based additives in foods and products), the corn that gets sent to your supermarket as “ears” is a small fraction.

When using those measurements, the carbon footprint of corn for about one pound of whole produce is 0.8 pounds of emissions.

Recent research in Delaware found that for every irrigated acre of corn planted, approximately 646.1 kWh of electricity was used.

And, interestingly, one bushel of corn can yield 2.8 gallons of ethanol.

Each step in the corn life cycle generates emissions, and it al starts with the planting of the acres.

Corn Farming Basics and How Is Corn Harvested

Corn is one of the most consumed food products on the planet, trailing in third place behind rice and wheat.

Even though there are quite a few different types, they can be separated basically into 2 categories – Sweet Corn, which undergoes a process called dry milling so it can be fit for human consumption, and Field Corn which undergoes a different process called wet corn milling, for use as animal feed and industrial applications.

Industrial-size corn farming takes place on large tracts of land and, like any other agricultural crop, there is a moment to sow the seeds. Experienced farmers wait until the soil temperature has increased to about 50 degrees after the winter months before planting.

This is because the newly prepared seeds need 48 hours in the ground at this temperature before they start to germinate.

Although corn can be planted as late as June 5 in any given year, the great bulk of planting occurs in April and May after the final frost date, and planting at this time also ensures that the seeds receive adequate moisture before the dry summer months.

Now, the average size of farmland for growing corn spans over 700 acres so the last thing the farmer wants as he’s trundling up and down in a heavy-duty machine called a planter, is for the soil to be frozen solid or muddy from frost melt.

After selecting the appropriate seeds for his needs, the farmer will load the planter with kernels, then a special type of tractor will be used to pull it across the field.

The planter works by injecting each corn seed into the ground at a set depth and programmed distance apart.⁷ This way, the seedlings won’t have to fight for resources like water, nutrients, or space.

It is from this early stage that the carbon footprint of corn production begins to be generated. For two reasons.

First, the vehicles used are diesel-powered and will take days if not weeks to sow all the seeds.

And second: water.

It takes between 2 and 3 months for the corn to be ready for harvesting, and during that time period, each and every stalk will require watering.

When the size of the land is taken into consideration and the quantity of produce factored in, over 400 million gallons of water can be used on a weekly basis for farmland of 700 acres.

The carbon footprint of corn at this early stage of its life cycle you would presume would be quite high. However, this is offset by an average of 36,000 lbs of carbon dioxide that is absorbed from the air for every planted acre of land every year.¹⁶

Growing Corn: Carbon Footprint of Corn Production

Corn is grown on more than 90 million acres of land in the United States, most of it in the nation’s center, and a lot of the corn produced is used for animal feeds.

If you’re considering growing your very own patch of sweet corn all you need is a small patch of land that has well-draining soil. If the land becomes waterlogged at the first drop of rain, then root rot will quickly ruin all your hard planting work.

Test the ground by digging several holes around the area and filling them with water. Allow the water to drain away, fill again and this time put the clock on it.

If it drains away within 10 minutes then that’s good news. Anything closer to an hour means that the soil drains poorly.

Still, even if that’s the case, the soil can be adjusted by digging it up and mixing it with compost or any other organic matter.

Once the drainage capacity of the soil has been determined, rake the area to remove any weeds or stones, and send a sample of the soil away to be tested.

After the pH range has been confirmed to be between 5.5 and 7, then you’re good to go.

• Dig up, turn over, and loosen the first 10 inches. This will help the seeds to germinate freely, improve soil fertility,⁴ and enable the roots to grow unrestricted.
• When sowing the seeds, leave a foot between each one and follow a system of short rows. This will help in cross-pollination and give you a healthier harvest.
• A quick tip is to always sow just one type of corn as planting another variety will lessen the quality of the corn when they reach maturity.
• Depending on the soil composition and the dryness of the environment, plant 2 seeds in a hole between 3-6 cm deep.
• The temperature needs to ideally be between 68 and 73°F with 6-8 hours of sunlight a day.
• If you have any doubts that the soil is too cold for germination, covering it with a black plastic sheet will ensure that the soil becomes warm enough.
• Use a fertilizer rich in phosphorous within the first two weeks, and water on a weekly basis.

It will take about 2 to 3 months before harvesting will be possible and during that time frame, the corn will go through several stages.

1. Germination
2. Vegetative Period
3. Flowering Period
4. Yield Formation Period
5. Ripening Period

The average height of a corn plant is 10 ft with a central stem typically consisting of 20 internodes that are each 18 cm long. The leaves develop from these nodes and are arranged alternately on the stalk’s opposite sides.

Between the stem and leaf sheath in the middle of the plant, ears form above a few of the leaves, growing by around 3 mm per day, and reaching a maximum length of 60 cm.

The entire kernel is frequently referred to as the seed. But while the actual structure of the cob is similar to what is called a numerous fruit, the kernels never combine to form a single mass.

They remain as pea-sized grains arranged in straight rows all around a white, pithy material, and there can be as many as 600 of them on the cob.

You’ll know it’s time to pluck the corn free when the tips of the silk on the ears start to turn brown and when white juice emerges when you press your fingernail into a kernel.

If the liquid is clear, it is too early; if it is not juicy, it is past its prime. Don’t wait too long after that as the corn can become too hard so transfer them quickly to your kitchen to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Corn Processing: How Is Corn Processed?

Combine harvesters are more often than not used to harvest corn although manual harvesting is occasionally used if the corn is destined for organic markets.¹³

However, since about 99 percent of the corn farmed in the United States is fed to livestock, gas-guzzling machinery is more practical, faster, and cheaper.

The use of this type of heavy industrial machinery has been blamed for damaging farmland through soil compaction – and this reflects in lower crops which adversely effects the carbon dioxide able to be sequestered and increases the level of the CO₂ that is attributed to corn.

The automatic nature of modern machinery simplifies the entire harvesting process, requiring the driver to press start and drive up and down the lanes.

1. A pair of sharp pincers known as crop dividers are located in the giant front header which can be raised, lowered, and slanted from the cab to accurately cut off the heads of corn.
2. They are pushed down toward the cutter by a gently moving wheel called the reel.
3. Underneath the reel, a cutting bar stretches the full length of the header, its blade opening and closing, snipping the corn free at the base.
4. They are then chopped and fed into the center, where they are then sent up into the main section for further processing.
5. The harvested crops are beaten with a threshing drum to separate the grains from the stalks, and the grains are sieved and collected in a lower tank, all on autopilot.
6. The unwanted parts of the stalk are shunted towards the back of the machine on conveyor belts.
7. A tractor pulling a trailer behind it pulls up next to the combine when the grain tank is full and a large pipe called an unloader transfers the grain into the trailer.
8. Any unwanted stalks and chaff are compacted into bales and used as feed for cattle so nothing is wasted.²

After all the corn has been harvested, it then has to be packaged and prepared for the market.

Processing Corn, Shipping Produce, and the Environmental Impact of Corn Production

Processing methods for corn range from grinding into cornmeal to fermenting, canning, alkalizing, and pre-cooking.

Since the necessary machinery and processing facilities consume a lot of energy and produce a lot of carbon emissions, this amount of processing has a significant impact on the carbon footprint of corn production.

Sweetcorn, in particular if sold loose rather than in the more common vacuum-sealed plastic bags or cans, can help to offset the carbon footprint at this stage of production.

And then once all the processing is completed, transporting the corn to its end destination is going to be a major contributor to more greenhouse gas emissions in the United States of America.

It has been calculated that transportation accounts for 17.58% of corn’s total carbon footprint, resulting in 0.05 kg of CO₂e per pound.

Production of corn in the United States is concentrated in the Midwest, specifically, the ‘Corn Belt’ states that stretch from Ohio to Nebraska- and they produce a lot of corn, about a third of the entire country’s corn farms which has to be distributed to customers nationwide.

Unfortunately, corn, like most other perishable agricultural products, must be carried in temperature-controlled trucks which are known for releasing large amounts of CO₂ into the atmosphere.

What’s worse, in this regard, is that a large portion of this corn is not even intended for human consumption. The transportation problem is exacerbated further, and the carbon footprint is greatly increased due to the importation of hundreds if not thousands of corn-filled trucks a year from Mexico.

Every year, about 20 million metric tonnes of corn is imported from its Sunkist neighbor and transported to all corners of the country, which is strange in itself because the United States produces more corn than any other country in the world.

Top Corn-Producing States

As the world leader in corn production, this industry is crucial to the development of the entire country’s economy.⁶ Worth $13 billion annually, these 10 states distribute a large chunk of that profit between them.

State	Value	Yearly Quantity (Bushels of Corn)	Percentage in the U.S.
1. Iowa	$2.5 billion	2,296,200,000	16.19%
2. Illinois	$2.3 billion	2,131,200,000	15.03%
3. Nebraska	$1.6 billion	1,790,090,000	12.62%
4. Minnesota	$1.4 billion	1,441,920,000	10.17%
5. Indiana	$964.5 million	981,750,000	6.92%
6. Kansas	$592.3 million	766,480,000	5.40%
7. South Dakota	$656.3 million	729,000,000	5.14%
8. Ohio	$580.3 million	564,300,000	3.98%
9. Missouri	$492.8 million	560,880,000	3.95%
10. Wisconsin	$536.9 million	516,780,000	3.64%

There can be no denying that the corn industry is big business.¹⁴ There can also be no denying that transporting food over long distances generates CO₂ emissions.

If you’re interested in reducing the carbon impact you have, choose locally-grown, unpackaged corn whenever possible.

Corn Environmental Impact (Is Corn Bad for the Environment?)

What happens to all the corn that remains on the shelves when passed its best, or the corn you pushed to the back of the fridge and forgot about?

Well, it all has to be disposed of. Every year, 50,000 tons of corn is wasted, thrown away.

In most cases, fresh corn won’t keep more than seven to ten days in the fridge before it starts to go bad. Due to its limited storage life, it is often thrown away, and much of it is sent to landfills.

Combined with 16% of the actual harvest that is thrown away because of lack of aesthetic appeal, this overall waste accounts for 2.9% of the corn’s carbon footprint.

When the worst vegetable offenders are lined up for the highest levels of carbon emissions, corn doesn’t fair too badly.

Asparagus is one of the worst culprits with 8.87 g CO₂-eq/g compared to corn products at 0.66 0.12 g CO₂-eq/g while cabbages are considerably lower at a mere 0.12 g CO₂-eq/g.¹⁷

Corn Products, the Benefits of Corn, and the Uses of Corn

Corn has been a food staple for centuries in the United States. It has been cooked in all manner of foods, ranging from breads, dumplings, cakes, and even soups.

But its uses are far from just restricted to the kitchen and it has some commercial applications that you would never think of.

Here are just a few of them:

Toilet Paper

Corn,⁹ surprisingly, can be made into a pliable and absorbent substance. The technique involves mashing it into a paste and incorporating it into the paper.

Toothpaste

Cornstarch is mildly abrasive and is a common ingredient in toothpaste, and its polishing properties, and helps to eliminate plaque. It’s great for your teeth since it contains fluoride, a mineral found in naturally occurring water.

Sanitizers and Hand Soaps

Several chemicals, such as ethanol or citric acid, are derived from corn and used in both soap and hand sanitizer to make effective disinfectants.

Creams and Perfumes

Corn can be used as an emollient to soothe the skin, a gentle abrasive agent, or even a range of perfumes.

Drywall

Drywall and other building materials employ cornstarch in the manufacturing process for its binding characteristics. The adhesive power in corn is sufficient to hold everything together to create a durable product.

Toy Crayons

In 2021, a Japanese firm was among the first to make crayons from corn and other plants. Rice is used to produce the wax, and corn is added to give it a bright yellow color.

The other colors are made from carrots and cabbage.

Nappies

Because of its high absorption rate, the inclusion of cornstarch into the material for diapers improves the integrity of the product, tightly binding the material together to avoid any embarrassing leaks.

Spark Plugs

Amazing but true. Corn, like other materials with a high melting point, can tolerate high temperatures without melting.

The spark plug can be protected from overheating by using a ceramic-like substance made from corn.

Tires

How can corn help your car tires? Well, tires need traction, and the inclusion of cornstarch into the production process increases the rubber’s elasticity, making it more manageable.

After that, corn oil is applied to prevent the rubber from dehydrating.

Aspirin

Not just aspirin, but several other beneficial pharmaceutical drugs have a unique coating made from corn that acts as a slow-release mechanism and masks the taste of the product. Depending on the formulation of this coating, the drug will be slowly absorbed into your system at varying rates.

Ethanol Biofuels

Fuels derived from living organisms are known as biofuels, and corn is the main ingredient in the production of ethanol.

The starch in corn kernels is converted to sugar and then fermented into ethanol biofuel and since corn can be planted and produced repeatedly,⁸ ethanol production is sustainable. And cleaner than diesel-powered vehicles, reducing greenhouse gases by as much as 43%.

The carbon footprint of ethanol is also linked to corn production practices, as sustainable agricultural methods influence the overall environmental impact of this renewable biofuel.

If ethanol was used exclusively to fuel the combine harvesters and other heavy machinery involved in the planting and transportation stages, the carbon footprint of corn production would be drastically reduced.

What Is a Carbon Footprint? (Emissions Calculator Methods)

A carbon footprint refers to the combination of greenhouse gases generated by burning fossil fuels by driving, for example, using products that have been produced in environmentally unfriendly ways, and even how products are recycled.

These gases contribute to climate change as they get trapped in the atmosphere, causing heat to be trapped and released onto the planet, and this is causing drastic changes to the oceans, forests, ice caps, and raising the earth’s temperature.

The food you eat plays a role because of how it is produced and transported, the clothes you buy because of how they are made, and the trash you produce and how you dispose of it, all contribute to your individual carbon footprint. The greater the size of one’s footprint, the greater the impact on the natural world.

To reverse this trend which has been building over the last few centuries as the planet becomes more industrialized, forested areas need to be protected and cleaner energy sources used to eliminate the reliance on burning fossil fuels.¹⁰

Carbon Footprint in Food (Corn in Foods)

What is a carbon footprint between different types of foods?

Considering that a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions in the world come from the food industry, what you put on your plate can influence climate change.

What elements can affect the carbon footprint in food is influenced by a variety of factors such as farming practices, the way the land is utilized, and how much water is needed for the product.

By determining how to calculate the carbon footprint of a product, scientists can reveal what the carbon emissions are for all foods. You could learn how to calculate carbon footprint manually of these 15 foodstuffs but leave it to the professionals.

1. Carbon footprint of vegan diet of tofu: 0.70 kg CO₂e per 1/2 cup
2. Carbon footprint of cheddar cheese: 9.78g CO₂-eq/g
3. Carbon footprint of potatoes: 0.21g CO₂-eq/g
4. Carbon footprint of chicken: 5.5g CO₂-eq/g
5. Carbon footprint of beef: 26.45g CO₂-eq/g
6. Carbon footprint of salmon: 3.83g CO₂-eq/g
7. Carbon footprint of lamb: 22.9g CO₂-eq/g
8. Carbon footprint of corn: 0.66g CO₂-eq/g
9. Carbon footprint of bananas: 1.32g CO₂-eq/g
10. Carbon footprint of avocado: 1.27 g CO₂-eq/g
11. Carbon footprint of tomatoes: 0.3g CO₂-eq/g
12. Carbon footprint of rice: 1.14 g CO₂-eq/g
13. Carbon footprint of walnuts: 1.17g CO₂-eq/g
14. Carbon footprint of milk: 1.34g CO₂-eq/g
15. Carbon footprint of apples: 0.36g CO₂-eq/g

If you want to find out what is a carbon footprint in your household, you can go online and use a carbon footprint calculation tool or a carbon emissions calculator.

Both will show where your biggest carbon emissions are coming from to enable you to make some minor adjustments, to your diet and the way you live your daily life.

Growing one acre of corn uses a fair amount of fossil fuels that are used to generate electricity, running transportation and harvesting machinery, with fertilizers and pesticides also adding to the overall carbon footprint.

On average per acre, that can translate to about 175 gallons of diesel fuel, producing 1,741.25 pounds of CO₂.

A semi-truck transporting corn products to their final destination will burn approximately 1 gallon of diesel every 6,5 miles.

If one truck has to travel 2,000 miles one way, that would equate to

2,000/6.5 = 307 gallons

Each gallon of diesel emits 10.21 kg¹⁵ CO₂ so the one-way trip for one truck would be 3,134 pounds of CO₂.

So from the farm to the final delivery point, corn would have an approximate level of 4,875 C02 (1,741 plus 3,134) for a single one-way journey depending on the weight of the cargo and the condition of the truck.

Corn Disadvantages (Carbon Footprint of Corn Production)

What is surprising about corn is that despite its worldwide popularity and that it is so widely consumed, it actually doesn’t have that many nutritional benefits.

The ones that it does have, are iron, vitamin B12, and some essential minerals, for some people, are far outweighed by these disadvantages and adverse side effects:

1. Allergic Reactions

For some sensitive people, eating grains or corn in any form poses the risk of provoking allergies and symptoms such as skin rashes,¹¹ swelling of the mucous membranes, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and dizziness, and even induces asthma attacks.

2. Harmful for Diabetics

Diabetes sufferers are warned to stay away from the sweet-tasting sweetcorn. Consuming too many of them, or even just a few in some cases, will negatively impact blood sugar levels.

3. Stomach Problems

Starch and fiber make up a large portion of corn. Consuming too many of these two components can cause bloating and constipation if they find them hard to digest, and this can lead to dehydration.

4. Weight Gain

Sweetcorn has a high sugar and carbohydrate content. Eating them can be a treat but eating them in excess will lead to weight gain.

If you’re on a diet, it’s best to avoid this staple food or consume it sensibly on a balanced diet.

Eco-Friendly Packaging and the Carbon Footprint of Corn Production

Packaging plays a major role in the carbon footprint of corn production and has an impact on climate change. This is mainly due to the fact that it is hard to dispose of.

Landfill sites have only so much space and burning or other methods simply cause harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Corn starch is a biodegradable packing material that is changing the way food products are packaged. It is a new type of bioplastic that is safe, lasts a long time, and is good for the environment.

Even though it looks like plastic, and feels like plastic, it is a synthetic polymer made from Polylactic Acid (PLA) and cornstarch. Unlike traditional plastics made from synthetic polymers, corn starch plastic breaks down into carbon dioxide and water when thrown away it is so eco-friendly that within a few months,⁵ it will safely decompose back into nature.

It only takes little, incremental changes to combat the effects of climate change. Additionally, tree planting is an effective way to lower your carbon emissions and the carbon footprint of corn because trees are capable of sequestering greenhouse gasses in the environment.

Quick Facts About Corn

Corn is really an ancient food source, first cultivated in Mexico 10,000 years ago and then, thanks to Christopher Columbus, was introduced into Europe.

Here are a few more quick facts you may or may not be aware of:

1. When it ripens, the cob and silk of young ears can be eaten raw together with the ear but this only lasts for a short period of time after which they are inedible.
2. The world’s tallest corn plant was grown in New York to a height of 48 feet. A considerable achievement considering that the average height of a corn plant is just 8 feet.
3. The name corn has changed over the centuries, starting out as “mahiz” to the local indigenous people and then to “maize” by European explorers as it was just probably easier to spell. In Europe, it was nicknamed Indian Corn and then simplified to corn.
4. Corn rows on a cob are always even. The numbers vary, from as few as 8 to as much as 20, but you will very rarely if ever find odd numbers from 7 or 21.
5. Because it lacks the gluten protein that is found in wheat, corn produces baked items that have a difficult time rising.
6. Corn is used to make ethanol and biofuel and is a very sustainable fuel source for transportation.
7. If you have the seeds but don’t have the time – relax. Store them properly, and corn seeds can still be sowed in 24 months after which they will start to be less viable.

From the very first day that the seeds are sowed the detrimental impact on the environment can be measured in the increasing levels of carbon emissions that are created directly from the farm, all the way to the table.

Types of Corn

It’s normal to assume that because corn is one of the most productive and grown crops in the world you would know all there is to know about it.¹²

The third-largest source of plant-based protein in the world it actually has more colors than yellow with varieties in grayish black, purple, emerald green, and amazingly bright red.

Each one has a varied proportion of sugar, which alters the corn’s flavor and texture, and whether you’d want it on your plate.

Let’s have a look at the 3 of the 6 varieties of sweet corn: