"A lie can travel halfway across the planet in the time the truth is still putting on its trousers." Winston Churchill
Often the media and popular culture will latch onto a sensational story and run with it even if the facts are skewed or misrepresented. At Swore Farms, our purpose in having questions in the maze is to give you a light-hearted educational experience. We take no political stand, but do offer you the chance to challenge some of your long time misconceptions about agriculture. We encourage you to follow the links and do your own reading on any fact or answer that surprises you. Most of all, we hope you had fun!
If you do not see an explanation, we will be updating them soon!
(#1) A cow’s pregnancy lasts about as long as…A Human
Gestation length varies by age of dam, breed, and sex of the calf. Gestation length ranges from 279 to 287 days. For most breeds, 283 days is common. Cows carrying bull calves tend to have a slightly longer gestation compared to cows carrying heifer calves. Find out more!
(#3) A bushel of wheat will make about...70 loaves of bread (49-90)
A bushel of wheat weighs 60 lbs and contains approximately one million individual kernels. This can produce 49 commercial loaves which typically weigh in at 1.5 lbs. But the same bushel can make 90 loaves of homemade, or traditional wheat bread. This gives us the average of about 70 loaves. For more amazing wheat facts check out this Wheat Fact Sheet.
(#5)The Longest recorded Flight of a chicken is… 13 Seconds
According to several chicken trivia sites including Guinness World Book the longest verified flight of a domestic chicken is 13 seconds and 301.5 feet distance.
(#7) An Acre is about the size of a…Football field
Most battleships are 2-3 football fields in length!
According to www.visitidaho.org, As the 13th largest state in the US, Idaho produces 72 types of precious and semi-precious stones. Some of these stones can be found nowhere else in the world, which is why our great state is known at The Gem State.Check out more fun facts about Idaho here!
(#11) Here at Swore Farms, we harvest our ten acres of sweet corn with… Our hands
Sometimes Wendy has to pick corn all by herself. When she does, the picking can be kind of slow because she has to drive the tractor, get off and pick, and drive the tractor again. Other times her kids help pick or drive. Occasionally, even the neighbors help!
We feel the corn to see if it is ripe. If the tops feel round under the husk, they are ready to pick. If they are still pointy, they need to grow more. Picking with our hands helps us make sure that all of the corn you buy in the garage, at the farmers market, or in your CSA basket is the best corn possible.
(#13) How many earth worms are there in an acre? One Ton
Worms tunnel deeply in the soil. One acre can have nearly one MILLION worms! Worms secrete a slime that is rich in nitrogen. Nitrogen is an important fuel for plants. Worms help our farm to be healthy and happy! Check out More on worms!
(#15) Worms have 5 hearts. True.
Earthworms are fascinating creatures. According to "Worm Facts," they have the ability to replace or replicate lost
segments.
Baby worms are not born. They hatch from cocoons smaller
than a grain of rice.
Even though worms don’t have eyes, they can sense light,
especially at their anterior (front end). They move away from light and will
become paralyzed if exposed to light for too long (approximately one hour). If a worm’s skin dries out, it will die.
(#17) In one year, an acre of earthworms can eat, pulverize, fertilize, & aerate...20 tons of soil.
Worms are an essential part of the ecosystem, turning byproducts from plants, animals and insects into nitrogen rich soil. Essentially, worms make dirt! An acre of worms means over a million worms eating, digesting, and secreting through the earth!
(#19) Alpacas make excellent pack animals in the mountains of Peru. False.
(#21) To make a hybrid plant or vegetable, farmers…cross pollinate with flowers and pollen from different varieties
Hybrids are produced in nature all the time when two different varieties cross pollinate. You can liken it to two different breeds of dogs mating to produce a pup that is a mix of both parents.
That is very different from GMO's which are generally developed in a lab through gene manipulation.
(#23) Most farms in Idaho are now owned by big companies. False.
Most of the farms in Idaho are still family owned and operated.
(#25) The first horses were about the size of a fox. True
It is called a Hyracotherium. It lived about 50 million years ago and was as tall as a fox. It had toes! This horse changed over millions of years to become a modern horse.
(#27) What part of the potato has the most vitamins? The skin!
(#29) Idaho is the #1 US producer of Potatoes, Trout, Lentils and… Austrian Winter Peas
This is just one of the interesting facts you can learn about Idaho! Check it out.
(#31) Baby Pigs Can…Squeal Louder than a Jet Engine
A pigs squeal (115 decibels) is louder than a jet engine's (113)
(#33) This is the most widely eaten meat in the world. Pork
Even though it's not really kosher, the versatility and rapid reproduction of pigs makes pork the most widely eaten meat in the world.In 2013 recorded total 109.075 million metric tons of pork were consumed worldwide. (Source)
(#35) The average person… consumes 584 pounds of dairy products a year
In her article on The Salt, Allison Aubrey states that "we consume about 630 pounds of milk, yogurt, cheese and ice cream per year. About 31 pounds of cheese alone sailed down our gullets."
(#37) Today’s American farmer feeds… about 155 people world wide
Farms range in size from small to huge, but when you average their production it turns out that each farmer produces enough food to take care of 155 people world wide.
(#39) Turkeys have been in the Americas… for more than 10 million years
When Europeans came to the Americas, they mis-identified turkeys in a similar way that they mis-identified the natives. The birds were named after guineafowl which had been brought through Turkey to central europe...thus they called them Turkey Fowl. The name was eventually shortened to "turkey". The American turkey was later introduced to Europe, not the other way around.
(#41) How many squirts does it take to fill a gallon of milk? 350
(#43) The average American… eats 22 lbs of tomatoes each year
(#45) 4 lbs is how much… broccoli the average American eats per year
(#47) Light green lettuce leaves are more nutritious than dark green ones. False
(#49) The first breakfast cereal was made with…popcorn
(#51) Apples are a member of the rose family. True
(#53) Pumpkins are 70% water. False
(#55) In early colonial times, pumpkins were used… as an ingredient for the crust of pies
(#57) The most popular pepper in the United States is the jalapeño pepper. False
(#59) What makes American Falls unique? The entire town was moved
(#61) In Idaho it is illegal to… give someone a box of chocolate weighing more than 50 lbs
(#63) Shelley has been the home of the Idaho Annual Spud Day since 1927
(#65) Apples are the number one fruit crop in the world. False
Bananas are the number one fruit crop in the world! On average, each American eats about 21 lbs of bananas every year!
(#67) What percent of American workers work on farms? 17%
Fact from previous year's corn maze:
Who uses the
greatest concentration of chemicals and pesticides per acre?
