1. Is the whole kernel feed corn ($8/50lbs) found at feed&seed stores the same as commercial corn for human consumption?

2. How long will it store in CO2 flushed pails?

3. Will a wheat grinder with metal cutters grind it into meal?

-- a (a@a.a), November 21, 1998

Answers

1. That is twice the price of corn. I fit forty pounds in a six gallon bucket. Price $2.15 Corn sells for around $2.50 per bushel. A bushel is 56 pounds.

2. As long as the corn is dried and no moisture is present (as well as bugs) it will store pretty much indefinately.

3. Yes

-- Paul Milne (fedinfo@halifax.com), November 22, 1998.

Paul, what warnings or cautions have tyou heard about w/r "feed" corn (for animals) being used for human consumption. Okay only for short periods, or no significant problems at all in the long run?

Obviously, anything at all is better than nothing (if there is no food) - and in Lenningrad, during WWII, starving people ate sugar, melted and burnt into dirt.

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), November 22, 1998.

Here's another good tip about field corn: It's USUALLY non-hybrid; meaning you can pick out the undamaged kernels and plant them...

R.A. Mann

-- R.A.Mann (ramann@hotmail.com), November 22, 1998.

* Obviously, anything at all is better than nothing (if there is no food) - and in Lenningrad, during WWII, starving people ate sugar, melted and burnt into dirt. *

And after WWII people in Frisia ate animal guts from manure piles.

-- trying to forget (seenit@ww2.com), November 22, 1998.

Good God man, what do you feed your family now? You have a year to get ready, cant you do better than that? To eat such things as a starving persons last resort is one thing but to PLAN to feed your family animal food is absolutely criminal. Such plans DO NOT FULFIL YOUR GOD GIVEN RESPONSIBILITY TO PROVIDE FOR YOUR FAMILY.

-- Ann Fisher (zyax55b@prodigy.com), November 22, 1998.

Sheesh Ann, he simply asked a question ;) I find it a good question myself, even though I don't plan on storing whole grains. I always wondered if animal feed corn was the same as the corn we buy at the supermarket, but only the "rejects", damaged crops, or is it a totally different breed unfit for human consumption? Or still fit, but not as tasty?

-- chris (catsy@pond.com), November 22, 1998.

The corn sold at seed and feed stores is the hybrid F2 generation.

Yes you can eat it - its good for you (corn muffins- yum yum).

Here's the deal. The seed companies take two (or more) mostly non-hybrid varieties and cross them to create F1 generation seed corn. AA X BB = AB. Requires lots of fertilizer/pesticide/herbicide and weather suited to its peculiarities. Yields great! Very Nutritious. Makes cows/pigs/chickens that eat it gain weight. The farmers plant this AB F1 hybrid. When she harvests the crop, it is the result of AB X AB. So if she picked 100 kernels at random from the harvest, they would be 25 of AA, 50 of AB, 25 of BB. But you probably couldn't tell the difference by looking at them. The problem is that if you try to plant this F2 generation of seed, you may be dealing with 3 different maturation times (interferes with pollination).

If you are really planning to plant corn in 2000, buy some non-hybrid seed form a reputable source. If you don't know how to grow it, barter with a farmer who does. If it comes to plnating non-hybird corn / beans etc..., don't waste that urine. Make everyone pee in the garden. Compost the humanure and use it in the orchard - never around root crops like onions/carrots/potatoes/beets.

-- Farm Woman (noname@privacyplease.com), November 22, 1998.

Whole kernel corn is fine for human consumption. However you need to make sure you purchase it from a quality source. Don't go to a grain elevator or feed store. We tried to purchase corn for our livestock this spring and it wasn't even fit for the animals to eat. It is better to purchase from a farmer that you can trust.

As for your third question: I have never had a wheat grinder, but I know that corn is much tougher to grind than wheat. Some wheat grinders would not be able to grind corn adequately. Check with the manufacturer before you buy the grinder.

-- Louise (~~~~@~~~~.~~~), November 23, 1998.