At the time, it was not easy to move large quantities of corn so Western farmers converted the corn into corn whiskey, which was much easier to transport to customers. Long before the automobile became the common form of transportation in the United States, corn was being converted into ethyl alcohol, or ethanol. Many of the earliest engine prototypes were designed to run on ethanol. Corn is the largest crop in the United States, both in terms of acres planted and the value of the crop produced. The top 3 corn producing states are Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska.
Corn is the most widely distributed crop in the world.
Corn can grow at altitudes as high as 12,000 feet in the South American Andes Mountains and as low as sea level. It can also grow in tropical climates that receive up to 400 inches of rainfall a year or in areas that receive only 12 inches.