Corn is the story of Iowa, but it comes with a hell of a plot twist. In my mind, it was straight-forward enough. Field after field of delicious corn, just waiting to find a barbeque and a slab of butter. I certainly saw plenty of teenagers hawking “sweet corn” in parking lots across the state, helping to reinforce that happy image.
And then, one night at dinner, Fritz threw me a curveball, declaring that almost none of the corn that I see growing in Iowa is actually meant for eating. The following morning, a mystery I was listening to, set in Iowa’s Black Hawk County (The Fields by Erin Young), provided me with more specifics. This dominant variety of corn is “dent corn,” noted for its hardiness and pest resistance, as well as its starchiness and lack of sweetness. By one account, 93% of this goes towards livestock feed, while most of the rest ends up as cornmeal, high fructose corn syrup, and ethanol. Another source I consulted highlighted that the US produces more corn than any other country, approaching 14 billion bushels in 2022, and that nearly a third of that is used to produce ethanol. I can’t reconcile the difference in those stats–walking for hours precludes getting too deep into the corn rabbit hole (cornhole?)–but my inference is that ethanol comes from varieties beyond dent corn.
Iowa’s embrace of ethanol may trigger some cognitive dissonance at the gas station. It seems like a typo–super unleaded tends to cost 30 cents less than regular. That’s the difference, though, between deeply-subsidized ethanol and its petroleum competitor. On the surface, that seems like a promising and encouraging model. What’s not to like about potentially reducing foreign oil dependence and cutting reliance on fossil fuels–and getting better fuel, to boot? The problem, though, is that we can’t just pour corn kernels straight into the gas tank. It still has to be processed and combusted. And a 2022 study found that this process is actually at least 24 percent more carbon-intensive than the equivalent process with gasoline. This isn’t a completely settled debate; ethanol proponents adamantly reject the study. But it looks like there’s ample cause for skepticism. Beyond that, it appears that ethanol comes with increased pollution concerns, as E15 gasoline (fuel containing up to 15% ethanol) has been prohibited during summer for many years because it is associated with smog.
Nonetheless, as a country we’ve decided to invest heavily in Big Corn. While farm subsidies originated with the Great Depression, they’ve remained a huge component of the agricultural sector ever since. According to the Environmental Working Group, Iowa received $42.4 billion in subsidies between 1995 and 2023. That’s roughly 8% of all farm subsidies in that period. The bulk of that serves to incentivize growing key commodities, most notably corn and soybeans. Some of it goes to support crop insurance. And stunningly, an equally sizable portion pays farmers to not grow anything, as “conservation subsidies.”
Welfare is a dirty word in many parts of Iowa. It’s a bad look to be on the dole. Even modest experiments face vigorous resistance. As one example, Iowa Starting Line tells the story of how the Iowa legislature sought to ban UpLift, a poverty-reduction pilot program that receives no state funds, that would have tracked how receiving an extra $500 might impact 110 recipients’ lives. It’s a matter of principle.
And yet, what is the difference between welfare and subsidies? Well, I suppose the difference is that welfare goes to poor people. By contrast, here’s the Environmental Working Group Midwest Director Anne Schechinger on subsidies: “Really now, the programs are benefiting the largest, wealthiest farms,” she said. “They are based on the acres you have or the amount of crops you produce. There were a lot of farms that were of the same size back in the 1930s and now there are these huge farms and a lot of very small farms as well.” Furthermore, as the ISL highlights, “The top 10% of recipients of federal farm payments raked in more than 79% of total subsidies over the last 25 years.” About a fourth of those Iowa legislators’ families are among the recipients.
The tragedy unfolding across the Midwest over the past decades has been the decline of the family farm, and the accompanying loss of that lifestyle for many, as Big Agriculture consumed one chunk of land after another. Between 1930 and 2022, the number of farms in Iowa plummeted from 215,000 to 87,000, and over those same years the size of those farms jumped from 158 to 345 acres. Perhaps it would be easier to justify subsidies if they were helping to protect smaller farms, offsetting the competitive advantage available to massive farms. But just the opposite appears to be true.
I’ve had ample time to ponder corn, of course, as I’ve been immersed in it ever since Illinois, Indiana even. None of that has changed over these past two days of walking. Having left the American Discovery Trail in Redfield, I’ve maintained a much more consistent westward march, and as a consequence I’ve spent a good deal of time on the White Pole Scenic Byway. Its directness isn’t its lone virtue. I’ve enjoyed each town I’ve encountered–Stuart’s abundance of services after a long and sweaty day, the great company I had while getting caffeinated at the Casey Creamery, Adair’s welcoming central park (another fantastic place for travelers), an awesome breakfast at Anita’s Weather Vane Cafe, and Atlantic’s lively and historic town center. Along the way, I’ve seen some of the most substantial glimpses of livestock, with many more cattle dotting the hills, and even an egg factory outside Stuart. Turbines, too, have taken on a steadier presence.
But through it all, the constant has been corn. Corn, which fuels a more wasteful energy. Corn, which pads the pockets of Big Agriculture and politicians. Corn, which is a symbol of the monocropping trend and the hazards it brings.
We have a remarkable resource. The land in this country, and the Midwest in particular, is fruitful and abundant. Could we be using it better? And could we be doing better to support the people on it?
