Corn Production
United States of America is the largest corn producer in the world with 392,450,840 tonnes production per year.
The largest quantities of production occur in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Minnesota, States that also lead in yields. U.S. corn production is almost exclusively of the yellow corn variety, with the majority used for purposes other than human consumption (e.g. feed, ethanol).
China comes second with 257,348,659 tonnes yearly production.
With 82,288,298 tonnes of production per year, Brazil is the third largest producer of corn.
Biggest Producers
Top 5 Supplier Names and Revenue
- Cargill Inc. $134.4 billion Global
- Ingredion Inc. $6.9 billion Global
- Tate & Lyle Plc $2.88 billion Global
- Roquette Freres $2.32 billion Global
Problems with US Corn
Water and Ecosystems
Industrialized corn farms use a lot of water, which is draining groundwater in the middle of the U.S. The excessive fertilizer from corn farms also runs off into rivers and oceans causing dead zones that are harmful to marine life. There is now a dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico which threatens animals, plants, and whole ecosystems. Pesticides used on the farms are said to directly harm insects, honey bees, and birds.
Soil
Two centuries of colonial, industrial agriculture in the United States has also led to soil erosion and degradation. Rather than growing corn in polycultures as Native Americans had done, U.S. farmers grew corn in monocultures and decimated their topsoil with similar environmental effects to clear-cutting a forest. Soil can store nearly three times the carbon of forests and other types of vegetation, but injecting it with fertilizers makes it hard for living beings to survive. This contributes to long-term damage to soil structure, which may make it hard to grow food in the future.
Climate and Air
Applying fertilizer, using gas to run tractors, kicking up dust while tilling the land, and pesticide production are all major contributors to air pollution from corn farms. This air pollution from growing corn has been linked to 4,300 premature deaths a year in the U.S.—that is, a quarter of deaths due to agricultural air pollution. Applying ammonia was a key culprit for air pollution from corn farms. This pollution includes significant sources of greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change.
Work
Corn farms are part of an industry that is known for poor work conditions. Agricultural workers typically earn minimum wage, in jobs without health insurance, in environments that lead to respiratory ailments.
Food Systems
As well as being a mainstay of intensive crop agriculture, the production of cheap corn is a component of industrial animal farming. It enables concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) to confine and feed livestock for part or all of their lives in a way that harms animals and the environment.
Conclusion
There are more than 200 different varieties of corn across the world. However, industrial intensive corn production leads to monocultures which is an environmental disaster.
Cargill is the biggest producer of industrial corn and their bioplastic company ‘NatureWorks” uses that filthy corn.
This is “Ancient Regime” kind of environmental scam.
Hypocrisy at 200 %
Let’s not talk about the US subsidies given to that environmental scam.
More
Sustainable vs Intensive Farming
Refs
World Corn Production by Country
Most corn production in U.S. and Mexico is geographically concentrated