Celebrating National Corn Month: Corn Powers More Than the Summer Table

July is National Corn Month, an opportunity to recognize one of America’s most important crops and the farmers who grow it.

Corn is part of everyday life in more ways than many people realize. It feeds livestock, supports renewable fuels, helps stock grocery shelves, strengthens rural economies, and anchors communities across farm country.

In 2024 alone, U.S. farmers produced 14.9 billion bushels of corn and reached a record average yield of 179.3 bushels per acre. That production carries major economic weight. A recent National Corn Growers Association study found corn farming generated an estimated $123 billion in total economic output, contributed $50 billion to U.S. GDP, supported more than 440,000 jobs, and provided $29 billion in wages.

Corn also plays an outsized role in the broader agricultural system. According to USDA, this crop accounts for more than 95% of total U.S. feed grain production and use, making it a foundation for livestock, food production, renewable fuels, and rural economies. Corn is also used much beyond agricultural applications including in fireworks and diapers! 

All of this would not be true if it weren’t for the skill, investment, and hard work of farmers who manage changing weather, tight margins, rising input costs, and constant pressure to produce more with fewer resources.

To get there, farmers rely on modern farming tools.

For corn growers, crop protection tools help manage weeds, protect yields, improve efficiency, and support conservation practices like no-till and reduced-till farming. Glyphosate is especially important in corn production, with recent research showing it is used on 90.4% of U.S. corn acres. At the same time, advances in farm technology have helped farmers become more precise, producing more corn on less land while using fewer inputs per acre over time. Without tools like glyphosate, farmers could face higher costs, more difficult weed control and fewer options to keep their operations productive and sustainable.

That matters far beyond the farm gate. When corn farmers are able to protect their crops, it helps support reliable supplies of food, feed, fuel, and fiber for families, businesses and communities across the country.

National Corn Month is a chance to celebrate a crop that helps power America. It is also a reminder that protecting the future of corn farming means protecting farmers’ access to safe, effective, EPA-approved crop protection tools.

This month and always, Modern Ag Alliance is proud to stand with our corn partners: Alabama Soybean & Corn Association, Iowa Corn Growers Association, Missouri Corn Growers Association, Corn Refiners Association, National Corn Growers Association, New York Corn & Soybean Growers Association, Corn Growers Association of North Carolina, North Dakota Corn Growers Association, Ohio Corn & Wheat Growers Association, South Carolina Corn and Soybean Association, and Texas Corn Producers Association.