<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for Corn tries to look a little too sweet]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by JMG http://www.grist.org/article/amazin-maize/ Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:59:23 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/amazin-maize/1 Speaking of corn

Christian Science Monitor:

Some coastal woes begin far inland
Farm runoff creates dead zones offshore, but no national authority is tasked to address them.

http://www.elabs5.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=o1l,2j6l,er,8o ...

The 5% Project


]]> Speaking of corn

Christian Science Monitor:

Some coastal woes begin far inland
Farm runoff creates dead zones offshore, but no national authority is tasked to address them.

http://www.elabs5.com/ct.html?rtr=on&s=o1l,2j6l,er,8o ...

The 5% Project


]]> Comment #2 by Sam Wells http://www.grist.org/article/amazin-maize/ Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:15:57 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/amazin-maize/2 Amazing Heirloom Maize

Well the title got my attention, as well as some revulsion with the corn industry as it is today - a genetically altered monoculture of few varietals, some better for eating and industrial foods, cattle feed, or even deer corn. That's about it.

Heirloom corn has a long history in the Americas, with many kinds from Mexico to Canada. True, it germinated and fruited unevenly and had to be hand picked, but that stuff at least had some taste - indeed, some say that good corn is like a fine wine.  There were dozens of kinds, not just "Indian corn" as we would otherwise think. Some were better for eating (white corn) roasting, grits, preserving, or even making whiskey.

These more native kinds of corn were much more tolerant of the bugs, weather, and the fungus but had to use better prepared soil and greater spacing, although fields had to have over a hundred stalks to properly germinate. Many of these heirloom varietals have been lost but a few afficiandos take great pride in bringing them back on organic farms. The fact that the product is not uniform and closely planted makes it more drought and water tolerant - and taste like heaven.

Many people have no clue that corn should even have a fine taste, with that yellow cow corn they pass off these days. One problem with NAFTA and flooding the Mexico market with US corn (at very high prices) is that native species of Mexico corn, some centuries old, are now being lost due to lack of seed. Ah, anybody for some of the treasured huitlacoche, corn smut? It lends an earthy, mushroomy taste to gormet dishes.  -sam

Onward through the fog

]]> Amazing Heirloom Maize

Well the title got my attention, as well as some revulsion with the corn industry as it is today - a genetically altered monoculture of few varietals, some better for eating and industrial foods, cattle feed, or even deer corn. That's about it.

Heirloom corn has a long history in the Americas, with many kinds from Mexico to Canada. True, it germinated and fruited unevenly and had to be hand picked, but that stuff at least had some taste - indeed, some say that good corn is like a fine wine.  There were dozens of kinds, not just "Indian corn" as we would otherwise think. Some were better for eating (white corn) roasting, grits, preserving, or even making whiskey.

These more native kinds of corn were much more tolerant of the bugs, weather, and the fungus but had to use better prepared soil and greater spacing, although fields had to have over a hundred stalks to properly germinate. Many of these heirloom varietals have been lost but a few afficiandos take great pride in bringing them back on organic farms. The fact that the product is not uniform and closely planted makes it more drought and water tolerant - and taste like heaven.

Many people have no clue that corn should even have a fine taste, with that yellow cow corn they pass off these days. One problem with NAFTA and flooding the Mexico market with US corn (at very high prices) is that native species of Mexico corn, some centuries old, are now being lost due to lack of seed. Ah, anybody for some of the treasured huitlacoche, corn smut? It lends an earthy, mushroomy taste to gormet dishes.  -sam

Onward through the fog

]]> Comment #3 by John former Marine http://www.grist.org/article/amazin-maize/ Fri, 27 Jun 2008 04:54:55 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/amazin-maize/3 Where are the corn gods?

Yum Kax should smite Monsanto and send a plague of locusts upon their GM cornfields.

Shu pas a vende.

]]> Where are the corn gods?

Yum Kax should smite Monsanto and send a plague of locusts upon their GM cornfields.

Shu pas a vende.

]]> Comment #4 by abby9280 http://www.grist.org/article/amazin-maize/ Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:00:12 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/amazin-maize/4 Consequences

Beyond the environmental impacts of increasing land under corn production, the emissions produced in the refining process, and, of course, the global food/fuel crisis, there is another consequence of all of this unplanned, short-term-oriented market maneuvering in the corn-based ethanol industry.

The negative publicity given to alternative fuels is a MAJOR setback for clean, sustainable energy production. While the corn industry is fighting to clear its name in order to ensure its continued business success, interest and investment in biofuels as a whole is in jeopardy. This is more than a business problem - it is an environmental and social setback.

A large portion of the population now views biofuels as nothing more than trouble, while many are unaware that biofuels can be produced from non-corn feedstocks. Right now, it is of utmost importance to push information about using switchgrass, algae, jatropha, agricultural wastes, and forestry industry byproducts as energy sources.

This will be no easy task, and the media will be more important than ever in making sure that facts are presented to the public, instead of smear campaigns.

Here is a link to a commendable story that attempts to do just that. And please, whenever you can, even if it's by bringing it up around the water cooler at the office, try to get the word out and make sure people are informed!

http://www.biobasednews.com/node/16462
("Biofuels Not Just About Corn")          


]]> Consequences

Beyond the environmental impacts of increasing land under corn production, the emissions produced in the refining process, and, of course, the global food/fuel crisis, there is another consequence of all of this unplanned, short-term-oriented market maneuvering in the corn-based ethanol industry.

The negative publicity given to alternative fuels is a MAJOR setback for clean, sustainable energy production. While the corn industry is fighting to clear its name in order to ensure its continued business success, interest and investment in biofuels as a whole is in jeopardy. This is more than a business problem - it is an environmental and social setback.

A large portion of the population now views biofuels as nothing more than trouble, while many are unaware that biofuels can be produced from non-corn feedstocks. Right now, it is of utmost importance to push information about using switchgrass, algae, jatropha, agricultural wastes, and forestry industry byproducts as energy sources.

This will be no easy task, and the media will be more important than ever in making sure that facts are presented to the public, instead of smear campaigns.

Here is a link to a commendable story that attempts to do just that. And please, whenever you can, even if it's by bringing it up around the water cooler at the office, try to get the word out and make sure people are informed!

http://www.biobasednews.com/node/16462
("Biofuels Not Just About Corn")          


]]> Comment #5 by abby9280 http://www.grist.org/article/amazin-maize/ Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:01:40 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/amazin-maize/5 Consequences

Beyond the environmental impacts of increasing land under corn production, the emissions produced in the refining process, and, of course, the global food/fuel crisis, there is another consequence of all of this unplanned, short-term-oriented market maneuvering in the corn-based ethanol industry.

The negative publicity given to alternative fuels is a MAJOR setback for clean, sustainable energy production. While the corn industry is fighting to clear its name in order to ensure its continued business success, interest and investment in biofuels as a whole is in jeopardy. This is more than a business problem - it is an environmental and social setback.

A large portion of the population now views biofuels as nothing more than trouble, while many are unaware that biofuels can be produced from non-corn feedstocks. Right now, it is of utmost importance to push information about using switchgrass, algae, jatropha, agricultural wastes, and forestry industry byproducts as energy sources.

This will be no easy task, and the media will be more important than ever in making sure that facts are presented to the public, instead of smear campaigns.

Here is a link to a commendable story that attempts to do just that. And please, whenever you can, even if it's by bringing it up around the water cooler at the office, try to get the word out and make sure people are informed!

http://www.biobasednews.com/node/16462
("Biofuels Not Just About Corn")          


]]> Consequences

Beyond the environmental impacts of increasing land under corn production, the emissions produced in the refining process, and, of course, the global food/fuel crisis, there is another consequence of all of this unplanned, short-term-oriented market maneuvering in the corn-based ethanol industry.

The negative publicity given to alternative fuels is a MAJOR setback for clean, sustainable energy production. While the corn industry is fighting to clear its name in order to ensure its continued business success, interest and investment in biofuels as a whole is in jeopardy. This is more than a business problem - it is an environmental and social setback.

A large portion of the population now views biofuels as nothing more than trouble, while many are unaware that biofuels can be produced from non-corn feedstocks. Right now, it is of utmost importance to push information about using switchgrass, algae, jatropha, agricultural wastes, and forestry industry byproducts as energy sources.

This will be no easy task, and the media will be more important than ever in making sure that facts are presented to the public, instead of smear campaigns.

Here is a link to a commendable story that attempts to do just that. And please, whenever you can, even if it's by bringing it up around the water cooler at the office, try to get the word out and make sure people are informed!

http://www.biobasednews.com/node/16462
("Biofuels Not Just About Corn")          


]]> Comment #6 by Sam Wells http://www.grist.org/article/amazin-maize/ Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:39:27 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/amazin-maize/6 It's about corn, not ethanol

If you trust the numbers, ethanol production only consumes about 20 percent of the corn market. The majority goes into cattle feed and industrial food products. So the point of the story was to "reduce your GMO corn footprint" by consuming less corn syrup sweeteners, amongst others. My point was to bring back the noble and native corn seed-stocks of our country.

And easy on those processed goods like Frito-Lay corn chips, OK tubby?

Onward through the fog

]]> It's about corn, not ethanol

If you trust the numbers, ethanol production only consumes about 20 percent of the corn market. The majority goes into cattle feed and industrial food products. So the point of the story was to "reduce your GMO corn footprint" by consuming less corn syrup sweeteners, amongst others. My point was to bring back the noble and native corn seed-stocks of our country.

And easy on those processed goods like Frito-Lay corn chips, OK tubby?

Onward through the fog

]]> Comment #7 by MAD MAC http://www.grist.org/article/amazin-maize/ Tue, 01 Jul 2008 01:47:38 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/amazin-maize/7 Funny you should mention Jatropha

I have a couple of aces of land in northeast Thailand and have just planted more than four hundred Jatropha trees. Bought the seedlings for a song and a dance, and the ground was just an open field anyway - not being used for anything. My mother in law is going to tend the plants and harvest the oil.

Victory in Pattani

]]> Funny you should mention Jatropha

I have a couple of aces of land in northeast Thailand and have just planted more than four hundred Jatropha trees. Bought the seedlings for a song and a dance, and the ground was just an open field anyway - not being used for anything. My mother in law is going to tend the plants and harvest the oil.

Victory in Pattani

]]> Comment #8 by amazingdrx http://www.grist.org/article/amazin-maize/ Tue, 01 Jul 2008 02:17:54 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/amazin-maize/8 Sugar and fat

The commercial corn varieties are  designed to minimize protien and maximize starch and sugar.  From "King Corn" the excellent film on this topic.  The corn syrup, sugar is fed to us directly.

The starch is used to fatten animals, the fat fed to humans.  So agrichem corn is designed to make us profitable patients for the medical industry, hehey.

The reason for fertilizer run off from corn, creating aquatic dead zones, and huge GHG release from corn growing is chemical fertilizer.

Corn fertilized with organic recycled fertilizer from biodigestion reverses GHG climate change many different ways.

Corn grown organically with renewable electric robots, would beat regular corn growing on every front.  Now if the subsidies could only be shifted?  Ag/energy policy GHG reduction and reversal go hand in hand.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

]]> Sugar and fat

The commercial corn varieties are  designed to minimize protien and maximize starch and sugar.  From "King Corn" the excellent film on this topic.  The corn syrup, sugar is fed to us directly.

The starch is used to fatten animals, the fat fed to humans.  So agrichem corn is designed to make us profitable patients for the medical industry, hehey.

The reason for fertilizer run off from corn, creating aquatic dead zones, and huge GHG release from corn growing is chemical fertilizer.

Corn fertilized with organic recycled fertilizer from biodigestion reverses GHG climate change many different ways.

Corn grown organically with renewable electric robots, would beat regular corn growing on every front.  Now if the subsidies could only be shifted?  Ag/energy policy GHG reduction and reversal go hand in hand.

http://amazngdrx.blogharbor.com/blog John Schneider, Northern Wisconsin

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