Definition

Noun: - A type of corn (maize) cultivated primarily for purposes other than direct human consumption as sweet corn. Field corn is grown mainly to be processed into animal feed, industrial products (like corn syrup, ethanol, or starch), or sold as grain.

Usage

• This term is used to distinguish corn grown for industrial or feed purposes from varieties grown for human consumption as a vegetable (sweet corn) or for popcorn.
• It is typically a mass noun, referring to the crop or grain collectively.

Examples

• Noun:
  • Most of the farm's acreage is dedicated to growing field corn for the local cattle feedlot.
  • The price of field corn is a critical factor for livestock producers.
  • Unlike sweet corn, field corn is harvested when the kernels are dry and hard.

Advanced Usage

• In agricultural economics: The term is central to discussions about commodity markets, biofuel production, and global food supply chains.
  • The demand for ethanol has significantly increased the cultivation of field corn.

Variants and Related Words

• Dent corn: A major type of field corn, named for the dent that forms in the top of the kernel as it dries. Often used synonymously with "field corn."
• Flint corn: Another type of corn, but often distinguished from standard field (dent) corn due to its harder kernel.
• Grain corn: A synonym, emphasizing its harvest as a dry grain.
• Maize: The more formal, biological name for the plant species , which includes all types of corn (field, sweet, popcorn).

Synonyms

• Feed corn: Emphasizes its primary use as livestock feed.
• Commodity corn: Emphasizes its status as a bulk agricultural product traded on markets.

Notes on Different Meanings

• The term "field corn" has a specific agricultural meaning and is not generally used in idiomatic expressions. Its meaning is literal and technical, contrasting directly with "sweet corn."

Noun

1. corn grown primarily for animal feed or market grain