Like many of us, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, co-producers of the film “King Corn,” wanted to understand corn. They started off their journey by getting a professional hair analysis. Turns out, the carbon in their bodies originates from corn. It seems most of us these days are made of commodity corn that must be processed before we can eat it. (Fact: An Iowa farmer can no longer feed herself by the corn on her farm.)
Where, oh where, does commodity corn go?
- Feed for animals (about half of all commodity corn)
- High fructose corn syrup
- Corn protein
- Corn starch
Ian and Curt not only get an education about corn, but manage to pull together a film that educates the rest of us too. The only sad part is that, like many of us, they had to see that the mass production of commodity corn leads to economies that no longer support smaller farming operations. It also leads to cattle confinement feeding operations that result in a whole lot of sick cows and, eventually, unhealthy people. Pile on the high fructose corn syrup, and it’s no wonder we’re the first generation that might have shorter life spans than our parents due to our eating habits.
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