King of the Crop

Two years ago the federal government spent $9.4 billion to promote corn production, driving small farmers off their lands in Mexico, because they were unable to compete with U.S. imports

By Ben Terrall

Two buddies from Yale trek to northern Iowa, buy an acre of farmland, start growing corn and make a documentary about the experience. Sound like a trite tale of East Coasters playing Midwest farmers? It could be, if not for the filmmakers' sincerity and their [RETURN TO ARTICLE]

  • Reader Comments

     Page 1 of 1 pages

    “This oversupply helps explain why, in 2000, U.S. residents consumed an average of 73.5 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup (up from 0.6 pounds yearly in 1970).”

    The main reason for the high consumption of high fructose corn syrup in the U.S. is the federal government’s tribute to the sugar industry: billions of dollars in annual subsidies and protectionist import tariffs that prevent cheaper sugar from entering the country.

    United States Posted by JT_Lancer on Dec 30, 2007 at 3:48 PM
     Page 1 of 1 pages
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