Less than 2% of the corn grown in American fields is directly consumed in cereal and other food products, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Over the past decade, another 7% of U.S. corn has been turned into corn starch, high fructose corn syrup, glucose and dextrose, common ingredients in a variety of food products.

The vast majority is used as animal feed or in ethanol, the USDA data shows. 

Exports, the third-largest destination for American corn, slowly increased since the 2012-13 market year.

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Top image: Corn harvest begins on an Illinois farm in late 2021. photo by Darrell Hoemann, Investigate Midwest

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Explainer A data-driven story that provides background, definition and detail on a specific topic.

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Madison McVan is from Pflugerville, Texas, where she discovered her love for journalism while working at her high school newspaper. She graduated from the University of Missouri in 2020 with degrees...

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