I was excited to go to Iowa Corn and DuPont Pioneer Seed Company today because corn is by far the most prominent crop in Iowa, and I wanted to learn more about it. One thing that really bothered me while the representatives were speaking to us is how much they referred to the corn industry as bearing the large burden of feeding the world. While the corn industry does feed a lot of people all over the world, especially in the United States, the representatives were making it seem like they do what they do mainly because they wish to feed the world, and that the reason they do not choose other alternatives is that everyone would not get fed. I think it’s ridiculous to suggest that any of these large scale agricultural operations are not first and foremost motivated by profit. There may be those who work for the companies that are concerned with feeding the population, but the companies don’t tend to want to begin feeding the world until they are paid for their product.

Also, watching King Corn was a nice change of pace after hearing from two separate groups that are definitely supporters of large scale corn farming. While I had some qualms regarding large scale corn production prior to watching the film, it really put the corn industry in Iowa into perspective, pointing out some of the negative aspects of the industry. For one, the reminder of how much corn goes into feeding livestock, even though livestock such as cows are supposed to eat grass and not corn, made me proud to be vegan. It was really alarming how much corn is in the processed foods all over America. Farmers, who are traditionally thought of as self-sustaining individuals, can not even live off of the food they grow in Iowa, because in many cases all they grow is the field corn that cannot be used for immediate consumption.