Today was all about corn. We first went to the Dupont Pioneer campus in Des Moines to explore the research side of corn and its products. Dupont Pioneer is the combination of the Dupont chemical company (known even in Aiken, SC) and the Pioneer seed company. It is the largest producer of hybrid seeds in the U.S., and it is so successful because this merger and many like it are able to produce seeds and research new genomes all under one roof. There, we were able to tour the genomic marker lab, the plant transformation lab, and the greenhouses. Essentially, this order covered the basic research sequence of 1) mapping out the DNA of samples and finding the locations of specific traits, 2) manually modifying the gene sequence then injecting it into the plant DNA, and 3) finally growing the new plant. Due to security concerns, we weren’t allowed to take photos outside of the visitor’s area. Sorry.
The next part of the day was devoted to the politics surrounding corn. We were treated to three different presentations by representatives of the Iowa Corn Promotion Board ( in charge of education, promotion, and research) and the Iowa Corn Growers Association (the lobbying arm), collectively known as “Iowa Corn.” Having a degree in political science, this was kind of more up my alley than the technical aspect of crop research. Here, we found out how this organization advances corn interests by helping the corn farmers, promoting positive images, finding new markets, and defend/defeat relevant legislation, especially the Farm Bill. Combined with watching the documentary King Corn, we learned how a single crop is grown and spread all around the world.
At the headquarters of Iowa Corn (Promotion Board and Corn Growers Association).
This was the reason why I went on this trip. I wanted to gain a general grasp of the food system in the U.S. and around the world, i.e. how an ear of corn moves from the farmer’s field to being split into numerous other uses. It was interesting to see in King Corn how much corn has been grown and inserted into our food system and to combine that with what I now know about the Iowa Corn Growers. Corn has grown to be a massive crop, and the corn lobby undoubtedly played a part in strengthening the industry, especially after the rise in demand of ethanol. The largest products from field corn include ethanol, livestock feed, and high fructose corn syrup. The latter two have essentially made it extremely cheap to produce many foods in America. Combined with the GMOs advocated by Dupont Pioneer, it is now easier to produce a high yielding and durable crops. Regarding the food issue, I am not the biggest fan of high fructose corn syrup or the forced feeding of large amounts of corn products to livestock. Yet it is still a hard judgement call to decide how much I think we should crack down on the unnecessary empty calories of the corn-saturated American diet. As of now, a vast number of food contains HFCS, and stamping down on its use would increase prices. Perhaps we should wait until a healthier alternative comes into play or perhaps we should bite the bullet and go for it. Either way, there are many and powerful voices that will have a say in the issue.
Our “theater.”
Post King Corn watching party.