• Twenty counties produce corn for grain and silage in North Carolina.Francois Lariviere/iStockphoto/Getty Images
  
  North Carolina is one of the top producers of corn in the United States. Twenty counties produce corn throughout the state's seven regions. Ten counties specialize in grain corn production, and ten specialize in silage corn production. Grain and silage corn typically feeds livestock. Additional usages for corn include the production of "sweet corn" for human consumption, using corn as a base for fructose syrup and sweeteners, and for the production of ethanol gas.
  
  

Northern Mountain Counties

• Wilkes, Alleghany and Yadkin County produce corn in the Northern Mountain Region of North Carolina. According to 2008 corn crop statistics from by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture (NCDA), Wilkes County produced 113,000 tons of silage corn. Alleghany produced 41,200 tons of silage corn; Yadkin County produced 830,000 bushels of grain corn and 38,300 tons of corn for silage.
  
  

Western Mountain Counties

• Henderson, Haywood and Buncombe counties produce corn in the Western Mountain region of North Carolina. In 2008, Henderson County harvested 181,000 bushels of grain corn and 30,000 tons of silage corn. Haywood County produced 25,100 tons of silage corn. Buncombe County harvested and produced 6,700 bushels of grain corn and produced 15,100 tons of silage corn.
  
  

Central Piedmont Counties

• Iredell and Randolph counties produce corn in the Central Piedmont region. In 2008, Iredell County produced 382,000 bushels of corn for grain 135,700 tons of corn for silage. Randolph County produced 382,000 bushels of corn for gain and 35,200 tons of corn for silage.
  
  

Northern Piedmont Counties

• Alamance and Guilford counties produce corn in the Northern Piedmont region. Alamance produced 245,000 bushels of grain corn and 14,500 tons of corn for silage in 2008. Guilford County harvested and produced 206,000 bushels of grain corn and 33,000 tons of corn for silage.
  
  

Northern Coastal Counties

• Tyrrel, Washington and Pasquotank counties produce corn in the Northern Coastal counties. Each county produces corn for grain, exclusively. The NCDA reported that in 2008, Tyrell County harvested 25,300 acres and produced 3,302,000 bushels of grain corn, making it the fourth largest grain corn-producing county in North Carolina. Washington County produced 2,176,000 bushels, and Pasquotank produced 2,000,000 bushels.
  
  

Central Coastal Counties

• Beaufort and Wayne counties exclusively harvest and produce corn for grain. Beaufort produced 3,480,000 bushels in 2008, which made it the third largest grain corn-producing county in North Carolina. Wayne County produced 1,352,000 bushels of corn for grain.
  
  

Southern Coastal Counties

• Robeson, Duplin, Sampson, Columbus and Bladen counties strictly produce corn for grain in the Southern Coastal region. Robeson produced 3,690,000 bushels in 2008. Duplin produced 2,600,000; both Sampson and Columbus produced 2,450,000 bushels; and Bladen County produced 1,028,000 bushels.