Maize (Zea mays), commonly known as corn, is a cereal grain first domesticated by Indigenous peoples in southern Mexico around 9,000 years ago. It has since become one of the three most important food crops globally, alongside wheat and rice. The plant produces large ears containing hundreds of kernels arranged in rows around a central cob.
Maize is extraordinarily versatile. It is eaten fresh as sweet corn, dried and ground into flour or meal for tortillas, polenta, and bread, processed into cornstarch, and used to produce corn oil, corn syrup, and ethanol. A significant portion of global maize production goes to animal feed. In Australia, maize is grown on a smaller scale than wheat but is an important crop in Queensland and northern New South Wales, used for both human food products and livestock feed.
How it's produced
Maize is an annual grass grown in warm conditions with adequate moisture. Seeds are planted in rows in spring and the crop matures over three to five months depending on variety and climate. Modern commercial maize farming is highly mechanised, with machine planting, fertiliser application, and combine harvesting.
At harvest, the ears are stripped from the stalk by a combine harvester, which separates the kernels from the cob. For grain maize, kernels are dried to around 14% moisture for storage. Sweet corn for fresh eating is picked earlier while kernels are still tender and sugary. Different parts of the kernel — endosperm, germ, and bran — are separated during milling for different food and industrial products.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
* Based on what it takes to produce, from farm to factory gate.
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