King Corn // Current

THE MONARCHY - NATIONAL POST

http://www.nationalpost.com/most-popular/story.html?id=2165496

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Curtis Allis and Ian Cheney were two men on a mission to discover the truth behind America's corn empire. With video camera in hand, the two began a journey to create "King Corn," a film that starts with a single acre of corn and exposes the grit of the industry, and what really happens to all of those acres when everything is done. In their adventure to Iowa (a place where corn reigns supreme), the men begin to see how profit is made off corn, and how it affects the economy around them. They portray the evolution of corn from seed to harvest, and then what happens after. Statistical data shows us where the corn goes after it has been reaped and processed. The film also shows that even our animals consume corn, and in turn, how that changes people who then eat them.

When Curtis and Ian start their one acre of corn, they quickly find that they will be awarded $28 per acre. If one were to farm a large quantity of acres, a substantial amount of government subsidies would be paid merely for producing corn. Corn is revealed to be a profitless industry, where costs don't weigh out sale value. The only way corn is actually surviving is through the subsidies the government pays. In 1973, Earl Butz was the head of the Department of Agriculture. He moved to have the government begin paying for the over-production of corn so that future generations would be able to live a "dream of plenty." Since then, little farmers have gotten bigger and smaller farmers have disappeared slowly. They even witness an old silo, or corn elevator, that had become so useless for its small size that it was being burned down. Corn is bigger now than it ever has been before.

When Ian and Curtis interview an agronomist from Iowa State University, they find that the corn we know now that was once from Mexico isn't the same, protein-packed delight it once was years ago. Now, because corn has changed over the years, it contains more starch than ever before. More starch over protein renders the corn a less healthy version of what was consumed by our founding fathers. Because corn must be processed before it can be consumed, many people do not even eat the suitable, fresh corn that is a better option. Instead, this "commodity" corn is used to produce mostly corn syrup, and occasionally ethanol or fed as scraps to beef cows.

The wholesome idea of corn being good for America is subjective. The corn syrup that farmers are paid to over-produce in this country is causing problems amongst its citizens. Sodas parade as thirst-quenchers that packs an unhealthy sweetener, yet sells off the shelves. When Ian and Curtis attempt to make corn syrup, they divulge that it is a highly processed, very complicated chemical concoction of sulfuric acid, enzyme protein, and of course- corn. Drinking soda sweetened with corn syrup per day doubles an individual's chance of getting diabetes. Upon their visit to a cow farm, the team unveils the dark side of that market. The beef that is fed the scraps from the corn aren't fed some high-quality, cafeteria prepared dinner. The beef Americans eat is that of cows which have been chowing on torn-up, bacteria-infested piles of damp husks. These cows then must be put on medicines (no doubt also not good for the meat) and slowly die because of it. The cows are jammed in small containers and not allowed to move. The fat in their body takes over and muscles deteriorate. This is what hamburgers are made out of: unhealthy animals, antibiotics, mostly cholesterol. But yet, we did dream of plenty... only to forsake quality for quantity.

Jill Abruzzio, 2008Curtis Allis and Ian Cheney were two men on a mission to discover the truth behind... more