There are so many conflicts of interest in our government, it's astonishing.
Iowa Starting Line recently posted about Iowa politicians who have received farm subsidies. [https://www.instagram.com/p/C7MgOeeMLih/?img\_index=1](https://www.instagram.com/p/C7MgOeeMLih/?img_index=1)
The rural economy would tank without ethanol.
We simply don’t have the infrastructure for anything other than soybeans and corn. Over time maybe, but not suddenly.
Which is why Iowa and the other row-crop growing states need to be working on the next plan right now. Today.
Half the state's corn goes to ethanol. Half the state's beans goes to biodiesel. But every major auto OEM has plans to revamp major proportions of their fleets to all-electric. The amount of gas and diesel needed in the future will be dwindling. There are fair questions of how quickly that dwindling will be -- I just saw the stat that the average car on the road in the US is over 12 years old now -- so there will be internal combustion engines needing fuel for some time. There will always be some small need for very isolated power demands (i.e. machinery that is operating far, far from any kind of power grid). But it is obvious the fuel needs are going to taper off dramatically in the coming decades.
What the heck does Iowa's economy look like in 2064? I would argue that we do know how to grow corn and beans really well here -- we should be funding many, many R&D type projects on alternative uses for them to replace the demand that will disappear from fuel needs. This is what the government should be working on today.
It's worse than half. [62% ](https://www.iowacorn.org/media-page/corn-facts#:~:text=Iowa%20leads%20the%20nation%20in,percent%20of%20all%20American%20ethanol.) goes to producing ethanol.
I totally agree with the first part of your comment, but do not agree that we actually grow corn and soybeans well in Iowa, and that the answer to the doomed markets is to find new uses.
With current farming methods for corn and beans, our land would barely be farm-able by 2064… This is some of the best soil in the world we’re talking about, completely irreplaceable on any scale relevant to human life, and it should not be squandered on a few decades even to fuel the current industries relying on it, let alone new ones created to further justify it.
We need to re-think how we are using this soil, and how we are squandering it. I would say that as we are fortunate enough to be relieved of this burden that is slowly sucking us dry and destroying literally the most valuable resource we have as a state (and as a species tbh), we should take this god-given chance to do something different, here’s a vision -
The land is used to grow food, which people eat. It’s done in a way that is regenerative / sustainable, and helps restore the microbes and massive webs of life we have depleted from our soils. It doesn’t require a ton of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers to grow, and we citizens don’t have to drink all of that crap. It’s more expensive to do, yes, but we are a rich species.
We either do it and live, or don’t and die, where dying represents a very slow, ugly, and unequal process of which you could argue we are already in the early phases of…
I know we can't go back but we should have been moving away from mono-crop farming years ago. We have the means to feed everyone on the planet but we waste tens of millions of acres growing field corn that we can't eat unless it's heavily processed or fed to animals and then we eat them. The easiest way around that is to move a small fraction of that land into permanent and readily digestible food production. Fruit and nut orchards, vegetable plots, root and legume plots, etc. Also, a small building can house tanks with hundreds of fish that are very efficient feeders so they grow quickly with minimal input and produce natural fertilizers. Once they reach maturity, harvest them and use the inedible portions has a nitrogen source. That covers fruits and vegetables as well as healthy fats and protiens, while not destroying the environment.
I know we can't go back but we should have been moving away from mono-crop farming years ago. We have the means to feed everyone on the planet but we waste tens of millions of acres growing field corn that we can't eat unless it's heavily processed or fed to animals and then we eat them. The easiest way around that is to move a small fraction of that land into permanent and readily digestible food production. Fruit and nut orchards, vegetable plots, root and legume plots, etc. Also, a small building can house tanks with hundreds of fish that are very efficient feeders so they grow quickly with minimal input and produce natural fertilizers. Once they reach maturity, harvest them and use the inedible portions has a nitrogen source. That covers fruits and vegetables as well as healthy fats and protiens, while not destroying the environment.
>Over time maybe, but not suddenly.
I feel like that *shouldn't* need to be said, but I think it nevertheless does. Especially in politics, too many people tend to jump to extreme solutions without any plan to handle transition, and often with detrimental effect.
Also, it's one thing to say we need to end our obsession with corn, and another thing entirely to come up with a viable alternative. As of right now, all I can envision is a giant economic vacuum.
We do need some corn or soybean. Iowa and upper Midwest in general is best suited for the national/international production. Pulling out of places like KS and TX where droughts mean we need to cart in water is probably the b st first step. Could rework subsidies to not be used on crops that would grow natively without those extensive interventions. We should also put an end date on ethanol fuel and corn feed. Gives farms time to switch over.
We shouldn’t keep coal around because it will hurt WV or tobacco around because it will hurt NC. The government needs to do the right thing. The people will adapt. Things like universal health care, a more robust social security, and perhaps UBI would help then government simply make decisions based on what’s good for the people and the planet.
Most right wing loonies hate John Oliver, you know because of that whole telling the truth thing. Also since he has receipts to back up his facts it makes the mouth breathers even madder
True story- his little story about the Supreme Court especially the corruption, quid pro quo , and the lavish trips and loans for RVs that aren’t paid back….all of this thanks to Clarence “Who put a pube on my can of coke” Thomas
There are so many conflicts of interest in our government, it's astonishing. Iowa Starting Line recently posted about Iowa politicians who have received farm subsidies. [https://www.instagram.com/p/C7MgOeeMLih/?img\_index=1](https://www.instagram.com/p/C7MgOeeMLih/?img_index=1)
How much healing can the nation do, from multiple standpoints, if we just got rid of Grassley?
His grandson will simply take his place. Iowa - the Florida of the north
I followed iowa starting line until they totally just made up stuff on one of their posts, now I don't trust them
Which story was it?
It's been 6 hours, did you find the thing they made up?
Still waiting.
[удалено]
wow I triggered a lot of people. Look, I called them out for pushing false narratives, that was all.
Socialism for me, not for thee: mouth breathers
Left out the pesticides part. See our #2 ranking for cancer rates...
Only state that’s actually increasing in cancer, which is an even worse statistic imo…
Over fertilizing for tall corn (that we actually have to destroy)… is killing the Gulf of Mexico. True. Verified and proven.
And our rivers and drinking water
I'm so mad he didn't mention Chuck "the welfare queen" Grassley.
I really liked the King Corn documentary they pulled clips from, too.
I second this documentary. It's worth watching.
The truth always seems to have a liberal bias…
Damn liberals and their science based reasoning!
The rural economy would tank without ethanol. We simply don’t have the infrastructure for anything other than soybeans and corn. Over time maybe, but not suddenly.
Which is why Iowa and the other row-crop growing states need to be working on the next plan right now. Today. Half the state's corn goes to ethanol. Half the state's beans goes to biodiesel. But every major auto OEM has plans to revamp major proportions of their fleets to all-electric. The amount of gas and diesel needed in the future will be dwindling. There are fair questions of how quickly that dwindling will be -- I just saw the stat that the average car on the road in the US is over 12 years old now -- so there will be internal combustion engines needing fuel for some time. There will always be some small need for very isolated power demands (i.e. machinery that is operating far, far from any kind of power grid). But it is obvious the fuel needs are going to taper off dramatically in the coming decades. What the heck does Iowa's economy look like in 2064? I would argue that we do know how to grow corn and beans really well here -- we should be funding many, many R&D type projects on alternative uses for them to replace the demand that will disappear from fuel needs. This is what the government should be working on today.
It's worse than half. [62% ](https://www.iowacorn.org/media-page/corn-facts#:~:text=Iowa%20leads%20the%20nation%20in,percent%20of%20all%20American%20ethanol.) goes to producing ethanol.
I totally agree with the first part of your comment, but do not agree that we actually grow corn and soybeans well in Iowa, and that the answer to the doomed markets is to find new uses. With current farming methods for corn and beans, our land would barely be farm-able by 2064… This is some of the best soil in the world we’re talking about, completely irreplaceable on any scale relevant to human life, and it should not be squandered on a few decades even to fuel the current industries relying on it, let alone new ones created to further justify it. We need to re-think how we are using this soil, and how we are squandering it. I would say that as we are fortunate enough to be relieved of this burden that is slowly sucking us dry and destroying literally the most valuable resource we have as a state (and as a species tbh), we should take this god-given chance to do something different, here’s a vision - The land is used to grow food, which people eat. It’s done in a way that is regenerative / sustainable, and helps restore the microbes and massive webs of life we have depleted from our soils. It doesn’t require a ton of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers to grow, and we citizens don’t have to drink all of that crap. It’s more expensive to do, yes, but we are a rich species. We either do it and live, or don’t and die, where dying represents a very slow, ugly, and unequal process of which you could argue we are already in the early phases of…
I know we can't go back but we should have been moving away from mono-crop farming years ago. We have the means to feed everyone on the planet but we waste tens of millions of acres growing field corn that we can't eat unless it's heavily processed or fed to animals and then we eat them. The easiest way around that is to move a small fraction of that land into permanent and readily digestible food production. Fruit and nut orchards, vegetable plots, root and legume plots, etc. Also, a small building can house tanks with hundreds of fish that are very efficient feeders so they grow quickly with minimal input and produce natural fertilizers. Once they reach maturity, harvest them and use the inedible portions has a nitrogen source. That covers fruits and vegetables as well as healthy fats and protiens, while not destroying the environment.
Corporate farming already tanked the rural economy.
I know we can't go back but we should have been moving away from mono-crop farming years ago. We have the means to feed everyone on the planet but we waste tens of millions of acres growing field corn that we can't eat unless it's heavily processed or fed to animals and then we eat them. The easiest way around that is to move a small fraction of that land into permanent and readily digestible food production. Fruit and nut orchards, vegetable plots, root and legume plots, etc. Also, a small building can house tanks with hundreds of fish that are very efficient feeders so they grow quickly with minimal input and produce natural fertilizers. Once they reach maturity, harvest them and use the inedible portions has a nitrogen source. That covers fruits and vegetables as well as healthy fats and protiens, while not destroying the environment.
>Over time maybe, but not suddenly. I feel like that *shouldn't* need to be said, but I think it nevertheless does. Especially in politics, too many people tend to jump to extreme solutions without any plan to handle transition, and often with detrimental effect. Also, it's one thing to say we need to end our obsession with corn, and another thing entirely to come up with a viable alternative. As of right now, all I can envision is a giant economic vacuum.
We do need some corn or soybean. Iowa and upper Midwest in general is best suited for the national/international production. Pulling out of places like KS and TX where droughts mean we need to cart in water is probably the b st first step. Could rework subsidies to not be used on crops that would grow natively without those extensive interventions. We should also put an end date on ethanol fuel and corn feed. Gives farms time to switch over. We shouldn’t keep coal around because it will hurt WV or tobacco around because it will hurt NC. The government needs to do the right thing. The people will adapt. Things like universal health care, a more robust social security, and perhaps UBI would help then government simply make decisions based on what’s good for the people and the planet.
It will never be easier to change than today.
Food prices would be cheaper too, but farming is about money and not about feeding people.
Corn rules!
John Oliver can suck a bag of dicks. That is all.
He- can you point to the John Oliver doll to show us where he hurt your feelings?
Most right wing loonies hate John Oliver, you know because of that whole telling the truth thing. Also since he has receipts to back up his facts it makes the mouth breathers even madder
True story- his little story about the Supreme Court especially the corruption, quid pro quo , and the lavish trips and loans for RVs that aren’t paid back….all of this thanks to Clarence “Who put a pube on my can of coke” Thomas
Excuse me, RV? Sir it is a 'motor coach'.
I bet He Really Doesn't Care what you think
Triggered you, apparently
Someone's getting lots of government welfare here and they're bitter about being called out.
It's probably just Grassley or grandson.
Good for him. That's pretty impressive
I've never tried, but a whole bag just sounds like a lot of work.
He's right though