Can (and do) humans eat corn that is grown to feed to cattle?

[RED]

Of course!

....As long as it?s clean and good quality, yes. Yellow dent corn is what?s used for corn bread and corn pone. That?s 90% of all corn grown in the US.

Now, if you?re thinking of corn on the cob, then you still can eat that corn the same way, but it won?t be nearly as sweet. I?ve done it, but most people wouldn?t care for it.

So, if worst came to worst, I can live a long time off the livestock corn in my bins as long as I have baking powder, salt, and some fat to go with it. After my supply of multi-vitamin pills runs out, I?ll start to have some deficiency problems if that?s all I?m eating, but I won?t run out of calories.

There are those that think you would die eating cattle food!

[Allen]

We call it "field corn" here. It is raised as cattle feed and dried on the stalk before combining.

What the actual difference is I donno. Perhaps it is varieties that are more worm resistant or dries on the stalk better w/o mold.

Bottom line is yes, of course humans eat it but like you said, it is not as sweet so it doesn't have as much flavor if eating it boiled on the cob. We have a field full of it now. We let a nearby farmer farm our small plot of land for free. It keeps the weeds down and he makes a little $ so a win-win for us. We can have all the "free" corn we want but wont be touching it due to lack of flavor + none of us are per se corn fans.

[RED]

The big difference is when and how. If you let sweet corn grow and stay on the stalk until it dries out the big difference is the size. Pick the field corn when it is young and tender and there is not much difference.

Corn meal and corn flour is often ground field corn. For centuries corn tortillas have been made out of ground field corn that goes through a process that removes the hard shell making it easier to grind.

Just my $.02.

[Allen]

Some relatives of mine who used to farm grew the field corn. Some, they kept for their cattle, most they sold. Since it rains so much here moisture in the dried corn is a factor. Too much moisture in the corn will cause mold preventing it from being able to be stored long or be sold. They had a huge propane fired drier with a conveyor (grain drier) they had to run it through. Most folks don't realize what a farmer goes through or their expense/time.

[lyman]

ate plenty of field corn as a kid, and the grand parents also had a small garden plot (about an acre) that they tried Silver Queen (sweet white) corn on,
I had a friend on another board (RIP Woodsrunner) that grew heirloom corn and sold it as seed, grits and meal,

multiple colors so the meal and grits looked gray, and when planted, the corn was the tallest I had ever seen,and the ears were huge, and bland,

racoons got the rest before I could harvest them

[Allen]

ate plenty of field corn as a kid, and the grand parents also had a small garden plot (about an acre) that they tried Silver Queen (sweet white) corn on,
I had a friend on another board (RIP Woodsrunner) that grew heirloom corn and sold it as seed, grits and meal,

multiple colors so the meal and grits looked gray, and when planted, the corn was the tallest I had ever seen,and the ears were huge, and bland,

racoons got the rest before I could harvest them

My mother (born and raised on a farm) loved Silver Queen corn. Now it is near impossible to find here. It seems to have been replaced with Silver King corn. Don't know what the difference is.

[barretcreek]

Silver Queen!! Interestingly saw a billboard driving through Atlanta proclaiming "( ) has Olathe Sweet Corn". Doesn't compare, even right off the stalk.

[lyman]

Silver Queen!! Interestingly saw a billboard driving through Atlanta proclaiming "( ) has Olathe Sweet Corn". Doesn't compare, even right off the stalk.

that was probably Kroger, they had some harvesting or distro rights on it,

good corn, , but yes, Silver Queen was better,