In the first few chapters of the novel, the author introduces to the reader the concept that “corn is king.” He illustrates that corn is involved in a multitude of foods and other consumer products. He then hones in on the industrial aspect of corn and explains how it is failing as a commodity by taking the reader through his experience with a corn farmer from Iowa.
The first chapter focuses on the biological, cultural, and historical aspects of corn. The author took time to explain the importance of corn and the biological survival of it over other plants. This also ties into why it continues to be in abundance and why Americans as the author likes to put it are “walking processed corn.” The author indicates a strong connection between the human interaction and the evolutionary abilities of corn. He says that Americans are dependent on corn and vice versa.
The second chapter explores how rapidly corn production has increased over the past decades. The author looks into the economical and political effects due to the overproduction of corn. After the discovery of synthetic nitrogen as a fertilizing agent, corn and other crops began to rapidly increase in yield. This changed society as a whole causing prices of corn to fall and thus the farmers could not support their lifestyles anymore. Although prices continue to fall to an all time low, the farmers continue to overproduce because they have no other option if they want to make ends meet. The author describes it as a cycle that disobeys the standard economic model. The author also connects this economic problem to the government’s involvement with subsidizing the farmers.
In the third chapter, the author goes to the grain elevators where the corn is stored and distributed to other companies. The author paints a picture of how the overproduction of corn exceeds the ability to hold it in the storage vessels. The author tries to explain where most of this commodity corn ends up and explains that no matter how cheap the corn is, Americans can only consume so much of it. Therefore, the problem of overproduction cannot be easily fixed.
As a journalist, the author gives the reader a larger amount of research as well as his own passionate stance on his discovery of industrial corn. The author’s writing style is enjoyable because he is able to include facts in an interesting way using humor. He is also very descriptive, which allows the reader to paint a mental picture of the situation. For example, the first scene in the supermarket was very realistic and his description of the corn pyramid was creative.
The way the author approached industrial corn with a sociological eye made me see the connection described in the previous readings by Collins and Mills and “Exploring the Social Appetite.” The author was able to connect food to society through culture, history, economy, and politics. Also, by following one farmer’s life, the author was able to see how an individual’s problem also displayed a trend of societal issues in the farming community.
Questions:
Although the author focuses on commodity corn, do the same problems apply for the raw corn that we eat?
Why does the government continue to practice subsidizing farmer’s wages when they know it’s not benefiting them in the long run?
The article was very well written and the connection made between the novel and the previous reading written by Collins and Mills displayed a widespread knowledge of the topic.
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