How Does Corn Affect The Biome

In Industrial Corn, the origin of Zea mays is from a sexual transmutation from the “mother corn,” teosinte. There is also a mention of the nitrogen cycle; when there is too much fertilizer added to crops, it could end in algae blooms and the death of fish in oceans. It discusses ecology and the relationship organisms have by the food chain. The corn is given fertilizer, then the cow eats the fertilized corn as well as take antibiotics, then someone consumes the cow. That means that the quaternary consumer consumed some fertilizer as well as the antibiotics the cow was given. In the Pastoral Grass section, grass’ roots have a special structure that helps the plant as a whole. Grass has a deep root system and ground- hugging crown to help withstand grating and fire (129). The symbiotic relationships of the mycorrizal fungi and roots are also

Corn is a versatile crop, and that is why we grow so much of it. However, many people believe that corn should be used as a system and not as American agriculture. Due to this, people think this is the problem with food prices increase and causing hardship problems. I’m here to tell you the facts about corn ethanol is far more greater in negativity and that corn ethanol is being put into bad use.

The United States of America is the world’s largest corn overproducer. With such heavy focus on corn, I would like to draw attention to a measure taken by the United States government, the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996. This act increased the amount of farm land that is meant to be used in the States for growing corn from 60 million acres to a whopping 90 million acres. Such a significant increase cannot go without some kind of effect. Writer, Michael Pollan, in his book “The Omnivore’s Dilemma”, discusses the instability of the US farming industry as well as the negative environmental implications corn has on us. This instability and environmental impact has given rise to movements promoting a return to more

The history of corn can be dated back to the beginning of time, but the use and value of corn had been unnoticed until it was introduce by the Native Americans. Where corn had seemed to be a big part of their everyday life from, being in myths, legends, and for a huge portion of their diet corn was an essential component. "when the Europeans had touched base to the New World during the late fifteenth century, the Native Americans had introduced corn what they had called maize to the Europeans .This crop was then later on grown and adapted from Canada to southern South America very quickly, which then began to form the new basis of the New World civilization" (Leventin & McManhon, 2012). The way corn has been changing and revolutionizing throughout time has been both fascinating and drastic. Rather than conventional corn being grown, it is genetically modified corn that have been dominating today 's crop industry and farming but the question remains as to how the various types of GMO corn has influenced the way it is grown and used and what its ramification are.

Growing up in Nebraska I can tell you that I have ingested my fair amount of corn and corn-based products, I mean we are the Cornhuskers after all. But what is so special about corn? I ask this question because I want to know what is so special about corn and why is it in almost anything and everything we eat. America's agriculture is vast in the many types of plants that are planted and harvested every year, such as soybeans and wheat that are also used as an ingredient in many of our foods that we consume every day. When trying to answer this question I had to do some of my own investigative work, just as Pollan did when finding out all he could find out about corn. I researched the most grown grains in America, since corn is a grain, and to no surprise, it was corn but the second majorly grown crop that we Americans plant was soybeans. From there I

The discovery of corn is really a blessing in disguise because if we would not have found it and planted it every spring, corn could very well be extinct today. It is interesting to think that corn relies on us when we rely on it for so many things. It is also a blessing because without corn, the colonization of America would not have been possible. To think that if it were not for corn we would not be here is mind blowing. How is it that one plant could shape our lives and have such an impact on us? It is also strange to think that if it were not for corn, many of the products we make and eat today would not be possible. Without corn, would there be another plant we would use? Would many of the things we have today be invented? After reading these chapters, I realized how much corn does affect our everyday lives and it raised many questions I cannot even begin to fathom.

At this point you must be wondering, whats the issue with corn? Frist let me point out when I say corn, I am not speaking of sweet corn that you eat a bowl of for dinner. We are talking about field corn, which is primarily grown to fed animals, that we then eat. The problem is with feeding animals field corn. Here 's the problem with feeding animals (particularly cows) field corn: animals are not supposed to eat corn!!!! As a result we have meat products that are wreaking havoc on our health. First, understand cows are meant to eat grass and other foraged materials. Cows are not supposed to eat corn, when they do a plethora of things happen. The first is that it makes them sick. Cows fed corn become bloated, are more susceptible to liver abscesses, and e.coli. Also, because Corn is high in phosphorous and low in calcium which is a recipe for kidney stones. You must also understand to combat all the damage the corn does to cow, farmers then pump their animals full of drugs to

In my opinion, corn is a renewable resource and should be used as a new source of energy.In paragraph 1 on page 1,it states,”Caron is processed to produce different energy products.For example,corn can be used to create ethanol.” this shows an example on about how corn can be a new source of energy. It is grown with solar energy so it is a renewable resource,and there will be plenty to go around for the U.S. and the WORLD!

In the educative essay “What’s Eating America,” Michael Pollan designates the history of corn, a good and healthy food if cultivated properly. This essay is very informative because it talks about American’s diet. In this essay, Pollan examines the way of growing the corn as an influential example of using the chemical fertilizers in food. Also, He complains “Growing corn, which from a biological perspective had always been a process of capturing sunlight to turn it into food, has in no small measure become a process of converting fossil fuels into food…” (Pollan 302). While it might be very useful when used in a prudent way, in reality the usage of chemical fertilizers is higher and the farmers are feeding their corps more than it needs which affect the ecology’s system. In other words, his focus is on corn and not only does him just points out corn presence in nearly all food products; but he comes up with other matters like fossil fuels and the factories polluting the atmosphere. Thus, it’s astonishing when someone stops and thinks about how many things are composed from corn.

Chapter one of The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan follows corn on its journey from acting as the primary crop of the Native Americans all the way to its introduction into the industrial setting. Pollan makes it explicitly clear that corn is in everything. Behind all the chemicals listed in the “ingredients” section on a product, consumers will find corn. Corn even plays a role in our chemical makeup. Because of corn’s ability to intake more carbon than most other plants, it does not have a preference over the carbon isotopes it consumes. By looking at the carbon isotope ratios in humans, we can determine how much corn one has eaten. Pollan states that corn’s variability is what makes it such an important crop. The European settlers

I believe this is a main argument in the story because diabetes and obesity are main problems in a lot of countries and the numbers have risen so much due to the sugar that has been added. Pollan adds that a “Recent university shows that less sugars have been added and in sodas and especially glucose”. Corn is glucose and glucose is led to trigger something in your body that triglyceride levels will rise and cause high chance of diabetes. Also growing corn is also very bad because it kills our environment and does serious damage this is caused because of the chemicals farmers use to put on corn to take care of it but it in the end it is also very bad for the corn which causes it to be

Now say this crop began to grow outside of where it was intended. Possibly the seeds spread to somewhere unintended. Now we have a super crop that is beginning to invade different parts of the already functional ecosystem in the surrounding area. These super crops would begin to take over the already existing species of corn, possibly wiping out the indigenous variety completely.

The most noticeable advantage of corn fuel as an enhancement of fossil fuels is also the biggest advantage of ethanol energy a renewable fuel. Gasoline as a fuel is extracted from petroleum, and what makes petroleum an unreliable source of energy is that petroleum is nonrenewable, meaning it would run out some day in the future. Contrary, corn ethanol is a renewable source of energy, meaning if corns are replanted and remade into fuel, corn ethanol can be a long-term, sustainable energy source. Corn ethanol has the potential to produce a perfect

While agriculture is pivotal to human survival, it has some very detrimental effects on the environment. Agricultural production is first and foremost an industry that directly depends on natural resources such as water, land and a multitude of plants and animals. The exponentially growing human population and ever changing consumption patterns have stimulated the evolution of agriculture from the traditional to a now modern, intensive system. (Natural Resources Management and Environment Department ) In the 20th century, the intensified agriculture began to affect the environment, decrease the food quality and treat animals badly. Farmers are now under great pressure to become more efficient to maximize their profits and production through more specialization and bigger machines. (Friesen) For example, in the past 7000 plant species were collected for food, however today we only use 15 plant species that supply us 90% of the global demand. (Walls) Nearly one third of the land on earth is used for agricultural purposes and when practiced without care, agriculture farming presents the greatest threat to species and ecosystems and the only way to reduce the negative impacts is to create sustainable agriculture operations.

Dryland ecosystems cover approximately 47.2 % of the terrestrial surface and range from hot drylands in Arabia, central Sahara and central Australia to cold drylands in northern Sahara, western United States of America, China and Canadian Prairies (Lal, 2004). Dryland soils support the cultivation of crops such as wheat, sorghum, millet, barley, and pulses such as peas, groundnuts, lentils, and oil crops (FAO, 2000). Dryland farming is defined as that practiced in areas where the annual precipitation is 610 mm or less and irrigation is not used (Schillinger et al., 2003), while dryland organic farming excludes the use of inorganic fertilizers. Wheat is second to rice as the most salient source of calories for humans and it is the most important grain in the world that is grown on a wider range of environments, from high water availability to relatively limited water availability (Awika, 2011). A large percentage of organic wheat produced in the United States is accounted for by dryland organic wheat produced in the arid West. However, the economic and environmental sustainability of wheat production is threatened due to declining wheat yields and poor quality caused by low soil fertility, low and erratic rainfall, and growing weed pressure (Reeve et al., 2012).