King Corn on PBS

guest1234567 · 04-15-2008, 02:22 PM

“For the first time in American history, our generation was at risk of having a shorter lifespan than our parents. And it was because of what we ate.”
—Curt Ellis, KING CORN filmmaker

Independent Lens . KING CORN | PBS

Quote:

Alarmed by signs of America’s bulging waistlines, the filmmakers arrive in the Midwest enthusiastic about their new endeavor. For their farm-to-be, they choose tiny Greene, Iowa—a place that, coincidentally, both Ian and Curt’s great-grandfathers called home three generations ago. They lease an acre of land from a skeptical landlord, fill out a pile of paperwork to sign up for subsidies and discover the U.S. government will pay them 28 dollars for their acre. Ian and Curt start the spring by injecting ammonia fertilizer, which promises to increase crop production four-fold. Then it’s planting time. With a rented high-tech tractor, they set 31,000 seeds in the ground in just 18 minutes. Their corn has also been genetically modified for another yield-increasing characteristic, herbicide resistance. When the seedlings sprout from Iowa’s black dirt, Ian and Curt apply a powerful herbicide to ensure that only their corn will thrive on their acre.

By summer, their modern farm is thriving, and the Corn Belt is moving toward a record harvest of 11 billion bushels of corn. But where will all that corn go? With their crop growing head-high, Ian and Curt leave the farm to see where America’s abundance of corn ends up. As they enter America’s industrial kitchen, they are forced to confront the realities of their crop’s future: sweetening the sodas of a diabetes-plagued neighborhood in Brooklyn, fattening the feed trough of a 100,000 head cattle feedlot in Colorado. Ian and Curt are increasingly troubled by how the abundance of corn is helping to make fast food cheap and consumers sick; driving animals into confinement and farmers off the land. Animal nutritionists confirm that corn feeding makes cows sick and beef fatty, but it also lets consumers have fast food. As feedlot operator Bob Bledsoe says in KING CORN, “Americans want cheap food.”

Almost everything Americans eat contains corn. High-fructose corn syrup, corn-fed meat, and corn-based processed foods are the staples of the modern diet. America’s record harvests of corn are supported by a government subsidy system that promotes corn production beyond all market demand. As Ian and Curt return to Iowa to watch their 10,000-pound harvest fill the combine’s hopper and make its way into America’s food, they realize their acre of land shouldn’t be planted in corn again—if they can help it.

PursuitOfHappinessParty · 04-15-2008, 02:31 PM

A couple of random thoughts came to me while reading this.

Number one, biofuel and ethanol are two more consumers of corn and if we allow Big Oil to guide our processes, all these items will increase in cost - thus making the pro-Oil folks 'right'.

Mostly, it was the waste. Wasted fed money, wasted money spent on equipment, and a missed opportunity to show 'green' planting scenarios: crop rotation, earthworms, etc.

In the rush to prove a point about our being corn-syrup junkies, they overlooked farming 'junkie-ism' to fed money, bad farming practices, and alternative crops.

cheapseats · 04-18-2008, 08:58 AM

It has been explained to me that, aside from the havoc that is wrought in food prices, using corn to produce ethanol is inefficient. Corn being a starch, ethanol being made with alcohol, and alcohol being made from sugar, use of corn in ethanol requires an extra starch-to-sugar conversion step that would not vex ethanol production with the substitution of sugar beets or sugar cane.

It begs the question, who is driving use of corn in production of ethanol?

The question of who drives what agenda always begs the question of who stands to profit.

Who IS profiting from use of corn in production of ethanol? Not small farmers, that’s for certain. Not big public, that’s equally certain. Could it be, as ever, that the lion’s share goes to the fewest but fiercest mouths?

I will suggest that it is conspiracy in restraint of trade, that farmers cannot grow hemp on their own land, and that the continued outlaw of hemp is fiscal folly.

I will suggest that the diversion of a primary grain to ethanol, when there are practical alternatives for ethanol production and plenty of land on which to grow them, is a humanitarian travesty.

What, I ask, is the difference between a field of corn and a field of hemp, except who makes money? And who eats.

Bad Guys

guest1234567 · 04-18-2008, 09:30 AM

I watched this show last night. I really thought I would see more, but it was only an hour show, so ---

But anyway, I thought it was interesting. I never gave it that much thought just how much corn I ingest.

I don't buy a lot of processed food, and when I do I tend to look at nutritional labels, trying to ensure that less than one third of the calories I get are fat calories. (I don't worry about nutrition because I eat vegies).

But this was a realization that virtually every animal I eat is corn fed, and that corn eventually ends up in me. It's no wonder it's so hard to lose those last couple of pounds.

Burger = corn fed beef + fries cooked in corn oil + bread sweetened with HFCS.

The show dissapointed me when it did not even touch on the corn lobby.

cheapseats · 04-18-2008, 09:46 AM

Unquestionably, use of corn for ethanol is driving up the price of seed and feed corn. Observe the impact on the price of food.

WHO IS PROMOTING THE USE OF CORN IN PRODUCTION OF ETHANOL?

Follow the money.

How are Monsanto's quarterly profits, by the way?

guest1234567 · 04-18-2008, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheapseats

Unquestionably, use of corn for ethanol is driving up the price of seed and feed corn. Observe the impact on the price of food.

Yes, and in Mexico the poor are struggling to even get tortillas.

Quote:

WHO IS PROMOTING THE USE OF CORN IN PRODUCTION OF ETHANOL?

Quote:

Follow the money.

How are Monsanto's quarterly profits, by the way?

The show barely touched on the ethanol impact, which I thought it would. I think they said that about 10% of the corn grown goes to ethanol production. What they did hammer on is that 55% of all the corn is used as animal feed, and that virtually all of the corn is inedible without being processed first. They touched on that this is the first time in history that an Iowa corn farmer cannot feed his family with his crops.

Sean · 04-18-2008, 03:14 PM

I don't even feed my dogs anything with corn in it.

04-15-2008, 02:31 PM	#2 (permalink)
PursuitOfHappinessParty Keep It Simple Stupid Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Dallas/Ft. Worth Posts: 2,687 My Mood: Thanks: 26 Thanked 28 Times in 23 Posts	A couple of random thoughts came to me while reading this. Number one, biofuel and ethanol are two more consumers of corn and if we allow Big Oil to guide our processes, all these items will increase in cost - thus making the pro-Oil folks 'right'. Mostly, it was the waste. Wasted fed money, wasted money spent on equipment, and a missed opportunity to show 'green' planting scenarios: crop rotation, earthworms, etc. In the rush to prove a point about our being corn-syrup junkies, they overlooked farming 'junkie-ism' to fed money, bad farming practices, and alternative crops. __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It puts the lotion on its skin, or else it gets the hose again.
	Top

04-18-2008, 08:58 AM	#3 (permalink)
cheapseats Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 3,382 Blog Entries: 14 Thanks: 0 Thanked 37 Times in 25 Posts	Corn Dogs It has been explained to me that, aside from the havoc that is wrought in food prices, using corn to produce ethanol is inefficient. Corn being a starch, ethanol being made with alcohol, and alcohol being made from sugar, use of corn in ethanol requires an extra starch-to-sugar conversion step that would not vex ethanol production with the substitution of sugar beets or sugar cane. It begs the question, who is driving use of corn in production of ethanol? The question of who drives what agenda always begs the question of who stands to profit. Who IS profiting from use of corn in production of ethanol? Not small farmers, that’s for certain. Not big public, that’s equally certain. Could it be, as ever, that the lion’s share goes to the fewest but fiercest mouths? I will suggest that it is conspiracy in restraint of trade, that farmers cannot grow hemp on their own land, and that the continued outlaw of hemp is fiscal folly. I will suggest that the diversion of a primary grain to ethanol, when there are practical alternatives for ethanol production and plenty of land on which to grow them, is a humanitarian travesty. What, I ask, is the difference between a field of corn and a field of hemp, except who makes money? And who eats. Bad Guys __________________ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ©2008 Implausible Endeavors LLC ImplausibleEndeavors.com* =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
	Top

04-18-2008, 09:30 AM	#4 (permalink)
guest1234567 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,376 Thanks: 9 Thanked 18 Times in 16 Posts	I watched this show last night. I really thought I would see more, but it was only an hour show, so --- But anyway, I thought it was interesting. I never gave it that much thought just how much corn I ingest. I don't buy a lot of processed food, and when I do I tend to look at nutritional labels, trying to ensure that less than one third of the calories I get are fat calories. (I don't worry about nutrition because I eat vegies). But this was a realization that virtually every animal I eat is corn fed, and that corn eventually ends up in me. It's no wonder it's so hard to lose those last couple of pounds. Burger = corn fed beef + fries cooked in corn oil + bread sweetened with HFCS. The show dissapointed me when it did not even touch on the corn lobby.
	Top

04-18-2008, 09:46 AM	#5 (permalink)
cheapseats Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 3,382 Blog Entries: 14 Thanks: 0 Thanked 37 Times in 25 Posts	Unquestionably, use of corn for ethanol is driving up the price of seed and feed corn. Observe the impact on the price of food. WHO IS PROMOTING THE USE OF CORN IN PRODUCTION OF ETHANOL? Follow the money. How are Monsanto's quarterly profits, by the way? __________________ =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= ©2008 Implausible Endeavors LLC ImplausibleEndeavors.com* =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
	Top

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

New To Site?	Need Help?
Register to Participate View Forum Leaders Contact Us	Frequently Asked Questions Did you forget your password? Mark Forums Read