This essay was posted initially on Ensia.com and is reprinted
here with permission. Nothing dominates the American landscape
like corn. Sprawling across the Midwest and Great Plains, the
American Corn Belt is a massive thing. You can drive from
central Pennsylvania all the way to western Nebraska, a trip of
nearly 1,500 miles, and witness it in all its glory. No other
American crop can match the sheer size of corn. So why do we, as
a nation, grow so much corn? The main reason is that corn is
such a productive and versatile crop, responding to investments
in research, breeding and promotion. It has incredibly high
yields compared with most other U.S. crops, and it grows nearly
anywhere in the country, especially thriving in the Midwest and
Great Plains. Plus, it can be turned into a staggering array of
products. Corn can be used for food as corn flour, cornmeal,
hominy, grits or sweet corn. It can be used as animal feed to
help fatten our hogs, chickens and cattle. And it can be turned
into ethanol, high-fruct