How did corn get in my Cheetos?

There are five main types of corn: field corn/dent corn (processed into livestock feed, processed foods, and ethanol), flour corn (processed into foods like corn chips and tortillas), flint corn/Indian corn (used for decoration), popcorn (the only type of corn that can pop), and sweet corn (eaten when it is tender).

99% of the corn grown in Illinois is field corn, or dent corn. The other 1% is a combination of sweet corn, popcorn, and Indian corn.

Corn is most often planted using planting implements pulled behind tractors. The planter digs a ridge into the soil, drops the seeds at specific intervals and depths, and covers them back up.

The main parts of a corn plant are the roots (below ground), brace roots (above ground for added stability), stalk, leaves, ears, silks, and tassel.

Corn, like all plants, needs three primary macronutrients for growth: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. It also needs the three secondary macronutrients - Calcium, Magnesium, and Sulfur - and small amounts of micronutrients, such as Boron, Zinc, Manganese, Iron, Copper, Molybdenum, and Chlorine.

Field corn, or dent corn, is harvested in the fall when the plant has mostly died and dried out. It is harvested with a combine harvester, which drives through the field with a rake-like attachment on the front which picks the ears of corn off the plant, then sends them through a conveyor system which shakes the kernels off the cob. The kernels are kept, and the cobs and other plant material are spit back out the back of the combine. All other types of corn are harvested either by hand or with a corn picker, which keeps the entire ear intact.

The corn kernels dumped from the combine into a grain cart or semi-truck and are transported to a grain elevator, where they are stored until they are sold to market.

Corn is processed into over 4000 products we enjoy every day! It can be found in any products with corn flour, high-fructose corn syrup, corn starch, corn meal, and more... which is a lot of products! Take a look at the nutrition labels of some of your favorite foods and try to find a corn ingredient!

39% of the corn grown in Illinois is exported either internationally or domestically. 26% is used to make ethanol fuel, 20% is used for processing, 9% goes to make livestock feed, and 9% is used in other ways on the farm.

Corn requires nutrient-rich, moderately textured soils to grow well. It also grows best on relatively flat land that can accommodate the machinery used in modern agriculture. The "corn belt," which is a region of the country including Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana; contains perfect conditions for growing corn, as well as the proper climate.

The first ingredient in Cheetos is corn meal, which is a product made from ground up corn! Corn was planted in the spring, grown through the summer, harvested by a combine in the fall, and then taken to a local grain elevator. From there, a processor/manufacturer from Frito-Lay purchased the corn and processed it into the Cheetos you enjoy.