Delmarva Poultry Industry
In 2023, the Delmarva chicken community produced 601.1 million chickens through 1,213 farm families. The chicken companies on the peninsula purchased 89 million bushels of corn and 710,000 bushels of wheat for feed. This industry is Maryland Grain Producers’ number one customer! Learn more about the Delmarva Poultry Industry here.
Maryland Pork Producers
Farmers across the state produce 60,000 market hogs on 500 farms. Pigs consume a mix of ingredients but primarily corn. Today, an average market hog can consume 15 bushels of corn.
Grain-Finished Beef
Maryland sold 15,057 beef cattle on feed in 2017 on 171 farms. Beef cattle finished on grain have a diet similar to 45% carbohydrates (corn and wheat), 30% protein (corn), 22% silage/roughage (corn silage, grass, hay), and 3% vitamins and minerals. Finishing beef on grain takes three times shorter than finishing cattle on grass.
Grain in Animal Feed
Corn is a common ingredient in feed because it is the main energy source. Overall, corn has less protein with about 72% starch, which provides the animal energy. In 2017, Maryland produced 72,555,728 bushels of corn for harvest on 439,538 acres. Corn can also be grown and harvested wet to create silage for feed. Learn more about corn from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Wheat is a palatable and digestible source of nutrients that can be used in animal diets. Wheat is low in fiber, has a high starch content, and higher in protein than corn. On 164,831 acres, Maryland Grain Farmers produced 11,899,770 bushels in 2017. More information on wheat can be found here from the United States Department of Agriculture.
Barley has a large portion of protein. Six-row barley is typically used for feed white two-row barley is used for brewing. Across the state, Maryland produced 2,132,054 bushels on 24,895 acres in 2017.
