For every 10 ears of corn that are grown in the United States today, only 2 are consumed directly by humans as food. The remaining 8 are used in almost equal shares for animal feed and for ethanol. And, for the 12 months from August 2011 to 2012, the U.S. biofuels industry used more corn for fuel than domestic farmers did for livestock feed – a first for the industry. This significant milestone in the shifting balance between crops for food versus fuel shows the impact of government subsidies for the biofuels industry. And, it could represent a tipping point in the conflict between food and fuel demand in the future.
The U.S. Now Uses More Corn For Fuel Than For Feed | Scientific American
Corn is taking over the world. On recent trips, I’ve seen it growing in Switzerland, Germany, and China.
This post points out one of the main issues with corn — we are able to use it for stuff other than food.
But it’s also way too easy to process it and have corn as a key ingredient (especially as corn syrup) all throughout our diet.