ILLINOIS FARM FAMILIES BIOPLASTIC VIDEO
January 7, 2020
Across the globe a million water bottles are bought every minute with 91% never being recycled. We have come to realize we use too much plastic. Now is the time to switch to renewable resources. Corn can help do that.
Alexis Hartman, college student and Illinois farmer, says, “Imagine one day if every plastic water bottle could be made out of corn.”
This exciting video is part of a docuseries of videos helping farmers and non-farmers talk about important ag issues featured on the Illinois Farm Families website.
Check out this infographic highlighting the benefits of plastic made from corn!

By Lindsay Croke
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June 30, 2025
When we think of Independence Day traditions, sweet corn on the cob is as iconic as fireworks and often even more central to the celebration. According to Instacart, purchases of sweet corn surge by 380% over the annual average heading into July 4th, outranking other grilling staples like baby back ribs and burgers. But corn's role in your Fourth of July celebration goes far beyond your plate. In Illinois alone, 8,300 acres of sweet corn are harvested annually, averaging 155 cwt per acre. That’s more than 128 million pounds of locally grown sweetness fueling summer cookouts across the state. And while sweet corn makes a big impression on the grill, most of Illinois’ corn crop isn’t sweet corn - it’s field corn. Less than 1% of the state’s crop is sweet corn, while the rest is used in products that are often invisible to consumers but vital to everyday life: fuel, packaging, fireworks, and even spirits.