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S e r v i n g To d d C o u n t y , M N
VOLUME 22; NUMBER 10 - FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013 CIRCULATION 6,000
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Feed Grains). According to Philip Abbott, Professor of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University, The share of U.S. corn production used to produce ethanol increased from 12.4% in the 2004/05 crop year to over 38.5% in the 2010/11 crop year, and remained at that high level in 2011/12. (NBER Conference, Seattle) Human consumption and household products provide many opportunities to use corn. Ploehn said that there were more than 4,200 uses for corn. (www.thehandthatfeedsus.org <http://www.thehandthatfeedsus.org> ,) According to an article published July 9, 2012, In the U.S. today, approximately 75% of all processed foods contain corn. A few of the best known corn-containing products are bread, breakfast cereal, buns, cooking oil, condiments, gelatin capsules, granola, ice cream, sauces, salad dressing, soda, spaghetti, and yogurt. And its use goes far beyond food. Corn is found in the following products: adhesives, aluminum, aspirin, cosmetics, cough syrup, dry cell batteries, envelopes, fiberglass insulation, ink, insecticides, paint, penicillin, powders, rugs and carpets, stamps, talcum, toothpaste,
fueled mainly by petroleumbased products. Minnesota requires that ethanol be added to gasoline. Some of Minnesotas corn goes to ethanol plants in Minnesota and other states, is added to gasoline, and helps reduce dependence on petroleum and keeps prices down. So far, its all good news. But thats not the entire story. For people, there are negative aspects to all this corn. When growing corn, all farmers who are not organic farmers use herbicides, pesticides, and commercial fertilizers routinely. They use genetically-modified (GM) corn seeds produced by Monsanto, which has a virtual monopoly on corn seed production. The herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizer end up in the mature ears of corn, as well as in the soil and in the surface water of the land. Thus, people are consuming herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, and genetically-modified organisms daily, both directly and indi-
rectly. The chemicals build up in the fat in peoples bodies, and the GM food can cause changes in peoples DNA. According to an article summarizing a range of scientific peer-reviewed studies of the effects on human health caused by exposure to herbicides and pesticides, these substances may cause cancer (e.g. atrazine, 2,4-D,diuron, simazine), neurological conditions (chlorpyrifos), birth defects (atrazine, 2,4-D, diuron, endosulfan, MCPA), reduced fetal growth (atrazine, chlorpyrifos, 2,4-D,metolachlor), and metabolic problems leading to obesity and diabetes (chlorpyrifos). Fetal and early childhood exposures to pesticides are a key concern, with considerable evidence of links between such exposures to a wide variety of pesticides and a range of childhood cancers, especially brain cancer and leukemia. Prenatal exposure, particularly to However, Continued on page 3
This time of year mother raccoons and their young are out in search of food. Your home sweet corn patch might be an easy target for them. Many people like to try to live trap them and release them elsewhere. There are many tricks to keep the critters out of your crops, but they can be pretty persistent as well. Above: one of three young raccoons is trapped in a live trap in rural Todd County. Subsequently, all three young raccoons were trapped and released. Trail camera photo.