News

Amazing Maize

It takes about 25 corn plants per person per day to support the American way of life.  From plastics to sweeteners to fuel, corn is a vital part of our everyday lives.  Tomorrow, the Indiana State Museum opens its Amazing Maize exhibit to help tell the story of how Americans became dependent on the versatile crop.  In a time when the agriculture industry is becoming more transparent, this exhibit tells the story of the future of the corn industry by telling its history.  Jane Ade Stevens is the executive director for the Indiana Corn Marketing Council and the Indiana Soybean Alliance and says corn is one of the most important crops in the world.  She states farmers everywhere and people everywhere in the world are using and eating corn today.  Stevens notes no matter where you are it is a part of your life every day and that is important because our civilization was started in part because of maize and corn.  She says the Amazing Maize exhibit tells the history of corn, where it is now and where it is headed in the future.

Joe Kelsay, Director of the Indiana State Department of Agriculture says the exhibit is in fact, “amazing”.  He says when you walk through the exhibit and see the history of corn in the Midwest you learn about its beginning in Central America and Mexico and how it migrated around the world.  Kelsay says it’s incredible to see how it has sustained populations and helped to create added value to the farm and also how corn has been developed and helped human kind move forward.  He says the Amazing Maize exhibit shows how valuable corn is and how important it is to our daily lives.

The Amazing Maize exhibit opens Saturday, September 24 and will be on display through January 20, 2013.  The exhibit will be on display while Indianapolis hosts two National FFA Conventions and the Super Bowl.