Corn
Also known as: Maize · Yellow dent corn
The world's dominant feed grain. Reference energy source with 3,300 kcal/kg ME poultry and universally understood formulation matrix.
Applications by species
Top global export origins
FeedMatch Group's RFQ Builder benchmarks landed costs across origins for your discharge port and shipment window.
Certifications & quality standards
Buyer considerations
Advantages
- Universal availability
- High energy density
- Yellow pigment (xanthophyll) for egg yolk
Constraints & risks
- Aflatoxin risk in tropical origins
- Wide GMO/non-GMO price spread
Key specifications to contract
Energy values are calculated or measured estimates of the usable energy an ingredient delivers to a specific species; they are matrix values, not analytical certificates.
Moisture is water content expressed as a percentage; it dilutes every other nutrient, drives mould and mycotoxin risk in storage, and is the single most disputed parameter in bulk feed trade.
Mycotoxins are toxic fungal metabolites — aflatoxins, DON, zearalenone, fumonisins, ochratoxin A, T-2/HT-2 — that form in the field and in storage and are regulated with species-specific limits.
Particle size distribution governs mixing homogeneity, pellet quality, digestive efficiency and segregation risk, and is specified as a geometric mean diameter with a distribution, not a single sieve figure.
Crude fibre is a legacy proximate measure of indigestible plant structure; NDF, ADF and total dietary fibre describe the same material more precisely and are what modern formulation uses.
Each parameter is explained in the specification library — what it measures, how it is tested and what to verify.
Laboratory testing programme
| Test | Why buyers run it |
|---|---|
| Moisture and test weight | Storage stability, energy density and commercial weight |
| Mycotoxin panel (aflatoxin, DON, zearalenone, fumonisin) | Cereal chains carry the highest mycotoxin exposure |
| Starch and residual oil | Drives the calculated energy value used in formulation |
| Foreign matter and broken kernels | Purity, flow behaviour and true usable tonnage |
| Insect fragments and mould count | Storage history indicator |
Storage, packaging, transport & handling
Cereals and energy by-products typically hold 4–8 months at 12–14% moisture with active aeration; high-oil by-products are shorter and oxidation-limited.
- — Aerate and monitor temperature at multiple silo depths
- — Control moisture migration — hot spots form before visible mould appears
- — Maintain insect and rodent monitoring with documented treatments
- — Bulk silo or vessel parcels
- — Bulk bags for intermediate volumes
- — Bagged only for small or remote operations
- — Verify prior cargo in bulk holds; grain readiness inspection before loading
- — Ventilate to prevent condensation on long tropical routes
- — Record fumigation treatments and residues
- — Manage dust — grain and by-product dust is both a loss and an explosion risk
- — Control grinding to the target geometric mean diameter for the species
- — Blend by-products gradually to keep diet energy stable
Procurement considerations
- —Set mycotoxin limits by destination regulation and target species, with a defined incremental sampling plan
- —Agree moisture adjustment scales rather than simple rejection thresholds
- —Confirm harvest year and storage history, not only origin
- — GMP+ FSA / FAMI-QS feed safety scheme certification of the producing site
- — ISO/IEC 17025 accredited analysis for contractual and safety parameters
- — HACCP plan covering the specific material and process route
- — Codex Alimentarius Code of Practice on Good Animal Feeding
Typical risks & common mistakes
- — Hot-spot mycotoxin contamination missed by grab sampling
- — Energy value drifting between harvest years and origins
- — Fumigant residues and insect infestation entering the mill
- — Grab-sampling bulk cargo for mycotoxin decisions
- — Assuming published energy tables represent the delivered cargo
- — Ignoring harvest year when comparing offers from the same origin
Species & industry intelligence
Formulation stages, KPIs and the ingredient basket for poultry — broilers operations.
Formulation stages, KPIs and the ingredient basket for poultry — layers operations.
Formulation stages, KPIs and the ingredient basket for aquaculture operations.
Formulation stages, KPIs and the ingredient basket for dairy cattle operations.
Formulation stages, KPIs and the ingredient basket for swine operations.
Formulation stages, KPIs and the ingredient basket for beef cattle operations.
Related knowledge
Certificates of analysis, sampling, inspection, origin, traceability and import documentation.
Step-by-step buying guides and printable verification checklists.
Least-cost, inclusion and landed-cost tools for procurement planning.
Technical articles, market context and regulatory background.
Educational reference maintained by FeedMatch Group. We do not rank, recommend or endorse manufacturers; values are indicative industry references and never replace testing of the delivered lot.
Your next step, by buying intent
Pick the lane that matches where you are in the purchase — each link goes to the exact tool or page for that step.
What exactly am I buying?
How much, and at what landed cost?
Is this supplier and lot acceptable?
Related buyer questions
Who supplies finished rations using this ingredient?
Complete rations by species and growth phase are quoted through the feed supplier panel.
Poultry feed suppliersWhat if wheat is the cheaper energy source in my market?
Wheat is quoted on its own specification, origin and landed-cost basis.
Wheat sourcingCan I buy full bulk parcels rather than a single ingredient?
Bulk tanker and big-bag parcels are handled as a separate order format.
Bulk animal feedFrequently asked questions
How much aflatoxin B1 is safe in poultry feed?
Codex and EU limits: 20 µg/kg total diet for chickens; 5 µg/kg for young poultry and dairy feed. Use in-mill mycotoxin binders.
Which origin is cheapest for corn?
Argentine and Brazilian corn typically trade at a discount to US corn on CIF Asia. FeedMatch Group's RFQ Builder benchmarks live.
Can I feed high-moisture corn?
Yes for on-farm silage in ruminant systems (28–32% moisture). Commercial mills require ≤14% for storage stability.
For commercial farm feed buyers
Buying corn for a commercial farm
- Best for
- Commercial farms, integrators, distributors and feed buyers sourcing corn and related feed, additives or nutrition supply on a recurring commercial scale — not pet food, hobby farms or backyard quantities.
- Animal species covered
- Broilers and layers, dairy and beef cattle, pigs, tilapia, salmon and shrimp, plus sheep and goats on request.
- Typical feed buyer needs
- A written specification, verified suppliers who can hold that specification, comparable pricing on the same delivery terms, documented quality (CoA, certifications) and a supply schedule that matches production.
- Bulk feed and recurring supply
- Most requests are bulk or big-bag volumes on monthly or quarterly contracts. Volume per delivery, storage capacity on farm and contract length change price more than the headline per-tonne quote.
- Feed additives and premix
- Premix, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, enzymes, organic acids, toxin binders and other additives can be quoted alongside compound feed or ingredients so one supplier comparison covers the whole ration.
- What affects feed cost
- Raw-material origin and specification, inclusion rates, freight and Incoterms, packaging, order volume, payment terms, currency and certification requirements. Landed cost, not ex-works price, decides the winner.
- RFQ checklist
- Species and production stage, tonnes per month, target specification, delivery port or farm location, packaging, required certifications, first delivery date and contract duration.
- Supplier matching process
- You define the requirement, FeedMatch structures the RFQ, sends it to relevant qualified suppliers, and returns comparable offers side by side so you can negotiate on equal terms.
- Buyer is not charged
- Farm buyers are not charged to submit a requirement, receive matched suppliers or compare quotes.
FeedMatch helps farm buyers compare feed suppliers, nutrition providers, additives suppliers and related solutions. FeedMatch is an intermediary and does not manufacture feed or provide financing directly.