Feeding Cars Instead of People During a Drought...

This year has been a disaster for many farmers in the United States. It has been such a hot, dry summer, that entire farms are having to be mowed down for lack of production, and in some cases, lack of even germination! All the talking heads are rambling about being prepared for food prices to skyrocket this winter.

Corn is probably the most important piece in America's farming puzzle. It has taken over the world, thanks to some *smart?* people who have figured out how easy it is to play God with our food supply. Go to the grocery store, and there is corn in probably 95% of the products you see on the shelves. The price of corn goes up, the price of ALL food goes up.

Our government has established a law that we must put ethanol derived from corn into all of our fuel. Its not a suggestion... its a requirement. So in the middle of one of the worst droughts we have seen, when people are having to cull entire herds of animals due to lack (or cost) of feed (most animals are not designed to eat corn but that is an entirely different subject.), and when the price of food is going up, we will be using some of this resource in our gas tanks rather than feeding people and animals. According to the New York Times, over 40% of US Corn is grown for fuel!

There are so many acres of land growing corn destined for fuel tanks... imagine what would happen if half of that land was planted with a diverse array of produce instead. Companion planting uses a more balanced amount of nutrients from the soil, and plants grown together harmoniously can feed and protect each other, as well as build up better soil! Local communities would have fresh, local produce, and local farmers could make a decent living WITHOUT corn subsidies! Unfortunately, as long as the government creates this market for corn, and pays subsidies on top of that, the rest is really hard to turn into a reality.