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The Film | Corn | Biofuels | Meat Production | Farm Bill and Policy | Sustainable Agriculture | Eating Alternatives | Sources
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Eating Challenge
Can you go a week without eating corn? We did! Corny Corn Maze Master the maze to get an earful of corn fun and facts. So You Want to Be a Farmer? See how corn farming has changed and try your hand at the cornulator. Alternatives to Ears Find ways around high-fructose corn syrup and fatty burgers. |
The Film
King Corn
The filmmakers’ site includes a blog and information on how to take action.
Celsias: Reviewing King Corn, the Movie
View a three-part YouTube.com interview with filmmaker Curt Ellis.
Culinate.com: Take the corn-free challenge
Curt Ellis and Ian Cheney spent the month of November 2007 trying not to eat corn. Read about how they did on the Culinate Web site.
The Washington Post: Living on a Diet Less Corny is No Joke, Filmmakers Find
The KING CORN filmmakers take on the challenge: go one month without consuming corn.
Michael Pollan
Featured in KING CORN, Pollan is the author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food. Click on “Writing” for a hearty list of his online articles.
Corn
Iowa Corn
Get info on biotechnology, corn products and Iowa corn growers.
Corn Palace Convention and Visitors Bureau
As seen in KING CORN, Mitchell, South Dakota’s Corn Palace is a monument to the country’s leading crop.
American Corn Growers Association
“America’s leading progressive commodity association, representing the interests of corn producers in 35 states.”
A Zillion Uses for Corn!
An extensive list of products that contain corn.
Putting DNA to Work: Improving Crops: From Teosinte to Corn
See photos of corn’s ancestor and read about how its genetic makeup has evolved.
EWG: Farm Subsidy Database
View graphs and databases on corn subsidies in the United States.
Mountains of Corn and a Sea of Farm Subsidies
Reprinted from a 2005 New York Times article, this piece examines how the country’s corn overproduction is affecting its farmers.
No-Till Farmer
Top tips on growing monoculture corn.
Corn Refiners Association
Learn about corn refining and resulting products.
High Fructose Corn Syrup
HFCS, how it’s made and how it affects your health, plus other links.
Biofuels
NYTimes.com: Food and Fuel Compete for Land
This December 2007 article discusses how corn and ethanol affect grocery prices.
The Economist: The End of Cheap Food
The rising price of food—and what can be done about it.
Nature: Editorial: Kill King Corn
This October 2007 editorial argues against corn-based ethanol.
NYTimes.com: Biofuels Deemed a Greenhouse Threat
A February 2008 article reveals that today’s biofuels actually cause more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels.
NYTimes.com: Europe, Cutting Biofuel Subsidies, Redirects Aid to Stress Greenest Options
Several countries are revising their incentives for biofuel production.
Meat Production
USDA: Beef… from Farm to Table
Get facts and stats on beef, America’s favorite meat.
Beef: Global Issues
What is the global impact of beef? How does over consumption of beef have a global impact?
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)
Learn about animal feedlots and public health concerns.
Farm Bill and Policy
Farm and Food Policy Project
Learn about issues involved with U.S. food policy and the Farm Bill.
Earl Butz, ex-USDA Secretary, Dies
An obituary for former USDA Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz, who was featured in KING CORN and passed away in February 2008.
American Farmer
A regular round up of farm and agricultural policy-related news.
Rural Coalition
Goals include promoting diversity and equity in the Farm Bill and building a more just and sustainable food system.
Sustainable Agriculture
Food and Environment Program: Union of Concerned Scientists
Read articles on biotechnology and food, get sustainable food choices, online resources and much more.
PBS.org: Independent Lens: THE REAL DIRT ON FARMER JOHN
An unconventional farmer transforms his land into a model of sustainable agriculture.
Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
This alliance of family farms and rural and conservation organizations is committed to working with sustainable agriculture.
Practical Farmers of Iowa
“Fostering profitable, ecologically sound and community enhancing approaches to agriculture.”
New Agriculturist: Perspective: Diversity within crops restricts disease
Learn more about how monocultures of crop plants can lead to increased disease.
National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture
The campaign aims to engage in policy development processes that result in more sustainable food and agricultural systems.
Eating Alternatives
Celsias: Getting Off the Processed Food Conveyor
Tips on what you can do to reduce your reliance on processed foods, with a variety of links.
American Grassfed Association
Find grass-fed meat and dairy producers and products.
Eat Well Guide
Where to buy fresh, sustainable food in the U.S. and Canada.
LocalHarvest: Community Supported Agriculture
Look for a CSA near you.
Sources
The following served as information sources for sections of this site:
HOME
The National Corn Grower's Association, The World of Corn 2003, U.S. Corn Usage By Segment, 2002
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Overweight and Obesity, Frequently Asked Questions
U.S. Food Consumption Up 16 Percent Since 1970
United States Department of Agriculture Newsroom: U.S. Farmers Plant Largest Corn Crop in 63 Years
Source: United States Department of Agriculture, Feed Grains Database, Yearbook Tables
Environmental Working Group, Farm Subsidy Database, Corn Subsidies By Year, U.S. Total
United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Census 2002
CORN
TIMELINE
National Corn Growers Association: Corn Products Directory
“On Maize and the Sunflower,” Dolores R. Piperno, Science, New Series, Vol. 292, No. 5525. (Jun. 22, 2001), pp. 2260-2261.
Iowa Corn Growers Association: Corn Use and Education
U.S. Department of Agriculture: Crops and Plants, Field Corn
National Corn Grower’s Association: Frequently Asked Questions
“Origin and Environmental Setting of Ancient Agriculture in the Lowlands of Mesoamerica,” Kevin O. Pope; Mary E. D. Pohl; John G. Jones; David L. Lentz; Christopher von Nagy; Francisco J. Vega; Irvy R. Quitmyer, Science, New Series, Vol. 292, No. 5520. (May 18, 2001), pp. 1370-1373.
“Phytolith Evidence for Early Maize (Zea Mays) in the Northern Finger Lakes Region of New York,” John P. Hart; Robert G. Thompson; Hetty Jo Brumbach, American Antiquity, Vol. 68, No. 4. (Oct., 2003), pp. 619-640.
“Dating the Entry of Corn (Zea Mays) into the Lower Great Lakes Region,” Gary W. Crawford; David G. Smith; Vandy E. Bowyer, American Antiquity, Vol. 62, No. 1. (Jan., 1997), pp. 112-119.
“Kautantouwit's Legacy: Calibrated Dates on Prehistoric Maize in New England,” Elizabeth A. Little, American Antiquity, Vol. 67, No. 1. (Jan., 2002), pp. 109-118.
Seeds of Change: The History and Evolution of Corn
Corn and Capitalism: How a Botanical Bastard Grew to Global Dominance
Arturo Warman
Chapel Hill, N.C.: The University of North Carolina Press, 2003, p. 37.
The Story of Corn: The Myths and History, The Culture and Agriculture, The Art and Science of America’s Quintessential Crop
Betty Fussell
New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
1992, p. 19.
“An Historical Consideration of the Terms ’Corn‘ and ’Corn Belt"’ in the United States,” William Warntz, Agricultural History, Vol. 31, No. 1. (Jan., 1957), pp. 40-45.
“Corn and the Midwestern Farmer,” Henry A. Wallace, Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 100, No. 5. (Oct. 15, 1956), pp. 455-466.
The Ohio Academy of Science, Heartland Science: Yellow Dent Corn
The New Deal Network: Second Only to Roosevelt: Henry A. Wallace and the New Deal
Corn Refiner’s Association: A Brief History of the Corn Refining Industry
National Corn Grower’s Association: U.S. Corn Usage By Segment
Environmental Protection Agency: Animal Waste Disposal Issues
Agricultural Biotechnology and Transatlantic Trade
Grant E. Isaac
CABI Publishing 2002, p. 56.
“A Major Shift to Corn Syrup,” Phillip H. Wiggins, The New York Times, November 19, 1984.
BusinessWire: Origin Agritech Updates Genetically Modified Pipeline
U.S. Department of Agriculture: 2007 Corn Crop a Record Breaker, USDA Reports
BUSHELS & CENTS: Corn and the Farm Bill
“Who Benefits from Farm Programs?” James E. Anderson in Food Policy and Food Programs, Don F. Hadwiger and Ross B. Talnot, eds., (New York: Proceedings of the Academy of Political Science), 1982, pp. 144-156.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Michael Pollan
New York: Penguin Books, 2006, pp. 51-53.
Environmental Working Group Farm Bill 2007 Policy Analysis Database
New York Times: My Forbidden Fruits (And Vegetables)
Boston Globe: A Pro-Food Farm Bill
HOW SWEET IT IS: The Rise Of High-Fructose Corn Syrup
The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Michael Pollan
New York: Penguin Books, 2006, pp. pp. 87-90, 102-108.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: U.S. Food Consumption Up 16 Percent since 1970
U.S. Department of Agriculture: Sugar and Sweeteners
U.S. Department of Agriculture: Food Availability (Per Capita) Data System
New York Times: A Sweetener With A Bad Rap
Centers for Disease Control Foundation: Obesity: A Growing Epidemic
CORN-FED: Cows and Corn
U.S. Department of Agriculture: Beef…From Farm to Table
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, Fact Sheet; Feedlot Finishing Cattle, April 26, 2006.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Electronic Outlook Report from the Economic Research Service “Factors Affecting U.S. Beef Consumption,” Christopher G. Davis and Biing-Hwan Lin, October 2005.
New York Times: Eating Well: The Greening of the Herd
Washington Post: Grass-Fed Beef Called Healthier
“Grass-Fed: Nature's Intention,” Dawn Rahn, Rangelands, Vol. 23, No. 5 (Oct., 2001), pp. 30-3.
U.C. Agriculture and Natural Resources: New Website Outlines Health Benefits of Grass-Fed Beef
ScienceDaily: Pathogen Resistance To Antibiotics In Animals Could Lead To Resistant Human Pathogens
Science News: Hormones: Here’s the Beef
WWF: Environmental Impacts of Production: Cattle Feedlots
The Boston Globe: Subtracting an Additive
SO YOU WANT TO BE A CORN FARMER?
U.S. Department of Agriculture: Agriculture Fact Book, 2001-2002
2002 Census of Agriculture: U.S. National Level Date
Fast Food Nation
Eric Schlosser
New York: Harper Collins, 2002, p. 8-9.
“Consolidation in Food and Agriculture: Implications for Farmers and Consumers,” Phil Howard, The Natural Farmer, Spring, 2006.
Report to the National Farmers Union: Consolidation in the Food and Agriculture System
The Nation: The Last Farm Crisis
ConAgra Foods: About Our Brands, Foods You Love
ALTERNATIVES TO EARS
U.S. Department of Agriculture: Food Consumption
Egg Nutrition Center: The Good News About Eggs Just Got Better
Time: The Grass-Fed Revolution
Union of Concerned Scientists: Food and Environment, Greener Pastures
“Health Reasons to Cut Back on Corn Consumption,” Adam Voiland, Consumer Reports, December 17, 2007.
U.S. Department of Agriculture: Farmers Market Facts
CORNY CORN MAZE
Corn Production and Supplies Projected Up Over 4 Percent in 1991/92
The Seattle Times: Is High-Fructose Corn Syrup Making Us Fat?
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention: Diabetes Public Health Resource
CNN.com: The Great Corn Gold Rush
Cost to Plant Corn Next Year $40 Higher Per Acre
U.S. Corn Subsidies Drive Amazon Destruction
National Corn Growers Association: Education: Glossary of Corn Terms
MyCattle.com: Confinement Cow Feeding
National Corn Growers Association: Education: Glossary of Corn Terms
