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SE IA | Well, I agree with most of the replies here, thought I'd offer my comments.
1. While corn does not directly feed people, it allows pork and poultry, to take an energy source and convert it to protein. While cattle ( a ruminant) can utilize forage and grasses, it can take something humans cannot digest and convert it to protein. The protein demand exists because of the lifestyles of people living out of poverty.
2. Fertilizer, while we all as farmers can do better, the system is pretty efficient. 5.6 million tons = 11.2 Billion pounds of fertilizer, to produce an average 12+ Billion bushel corn crop. That is 1.1#/bushel, less than the 1.2# that has been the standard.
3. The water that is used for a large percentage of corn falls naturally. The amount of irrigated acres of corn is little. If corn wasn't grown on these free watered acres, corn probably wouldn't be grown there
4. the subsidies is a joke. These liberals will sit there and bash farm subsidies but can't pay any attention to the Billions that are wasted for the welfare programs in this country, military, the federal interest on the money that we borrow. 90 billion over a 15 year period is only 6 Billion per year. in 2010 the budget was 3.4 Trillion dollars, or 3,456 Billion dollars. 6 Billion of that went to corn subsidies = .17%. YEAH......HUGE BURDEN TO TAXPAYERS at .17% of the federal budget.
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"It's time to rethink America's corn system"
