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Audrain
County Agriculture
Crops
- A. Soybean
- Soybean is the largest grain crop grown in the county, in
both acres and dollars generated. Audrain County is also home to a soybean processing
plant owned by Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). Some of the products made from soybean
include Livestock Feed supplements (soybean meal), SoyDiesel (cleaner-burning diesel fuel)
, Adhesives (glue from soybeans used to hold wood products), SoyInk (60% of all newsprint
and environmentally friendly), Newstone (looks like granite, but easy as wood to work
with: ingredients soybeans and recycled newspapers), Plastics (still being researched),
Foams (still being researched) and many others.
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- The state association for soybean growers is the Missouri
Soybean Association http://www.ag.uiuc.edu/~mo-qssb/welcome.html.
B. Corn
Approximately 45,000 to 50,000 acres of corn is grown each
year in the county. Most of the grain is raised for livestock consumption. There are a few
acres of white corn and popcorn grown in the county. Approximately 30% of the acres in
Audrain County are irrigated.
Uses for Corn: Livestock feed, ethanol fuel, etc.
The state association for corn growers is the Missouri Corn
Growers Association, and National Corn Growers Association http://www.ncga.com/.
C. Wheat
Soft red winter wheat is grown in all parts of Audrain
County. Soft red winter wheat flours are typically used to produce flat breads, cakes,
pastries and crackers.
D. Grain Sorghum
The history of grain sorghum, one of the oldest crops,
dates back to Africa. It is believed the first seeds may have been brought into the United
States during the late 1800’s on slave ships. It is believed that Benjamin Franklin
introduced the first grain sorghum crop to the United States. Sorghum is a major feed
grain crop in the US, Mexico, Argentina, Australia, and South Africa and remains the
staple food of many places in Africa and Asia.
The grain sorghum, milo, is grown in Audrain County. The
grain serves as a substitute for corn in feeding animals. Also, the entire plant can be
chopped, stored in a silo, then used as silage feed for livestock. Worldwide, common grain
sorghums include milo, durra and kafir.
The grain sorghum seed is the smallest of the three major
spring planted crops. Early growth of the sorghum plant will usually be slower than corn
or soybeans. Growth is not very rapid up to the first ten inches of height. During the
early growth, the plant is establishing a root system and starting to take up nutrients
much more rapidly. Shortly after reaching 10 inches in height, the growing point of the
plant, which is still under ground or just at soil level changes from producing leaves and
produces the head. There are four main parts of the grain sorghum plant: the head, leaves,
stalk and roots.
(Grain sorghum information courtesy of the Kansas Grain
Sorghum Producers Association. http://www.ksgrains.com/sorghum/)
E. Irrigation
Although irrigation is not a crop, it is a very important
tool in producing crops in Audrain County. Irrigation was introduced in the county in the
early 1970s. Through the experiments, learning experiences and successes the practice
grew. Today, there are approximately 20,000 acres irrigated in the county. The predominant
form of irrigation is center pivots. There are a few lateral systems and a few traveling
guns. Reservoirs are the main source of water, followed by deep wells and streams.
Irrigation is most prevalent on corn, followed by soybean.
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