by

King Corn (2007)

Dandelion Salad

Now this is a fresh tomato

photo from Dandelion Salad

http://www.kingcorn.net/

Behind America’s dollar hamburgers and 72-ounce sodas is a key ingredient that quietly fuels our fast-food nation: corn. In KING CORN, recent college graduates Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis leave the east coast for rural Iowa, where they decide to grow an acre of the nation’s most powerful crop.

Alarmed by signs of America’s bulging waistlines, the filmmakers arrive in the Midwest enthusiastic about their new endeavor. For their farm-to-be, they choose a tiny town in Floyd, County, Iowa—a place that, coincidentally, both Ian and Curt’s great-grandfathers called home three generations ago. They lease an acre of land from a skeptical landlord, fill out a pile of paperwork to sign up for subsidies and discover the U.S. government will pay them 28 dollars for their acre. Ian and Curt start the spring by injecting ammonia fertilizer, which promises to increase crop production four-fold. Then it’s planting time.

With a rented high-tech tractor, they set 31,000 seeds in the ground in just 18 minutes. Their corn has also been genetically modified for another yield-increasing characteristic: herbicide resistance. When the seedlings sprout from Iowa’s black dirt, Ian and Curt apply a powerful herbicide to ensure that only their corn will thrive on their acre.

As Ian and Curt discover, almost everything Americans eat contains corn. High-fructose corn syrup, corn-fed meat, and corn-based processed foods are the staples of the modern diet. America’s record harvests of corn are supported by a government subsidy system that promotes corn production beyond all market demand. As Ian and Curt return to Iowa to watch their 10,000-pound harvest fill the combine’s hopper and make its way into America’s food, they realize their acre of land shouldn’t be planted in corn again—if they can help it.

*

Note: video no longer available

http://vimeo.com/58736941

***

Shorter version (20 minutes):

on Apr 23, 2008

Two recent college graduates embark on a mission to see where America’s food comes from—by growing it. In the rural town of Greene, Iowa, the two friends plant a single acre of the nation’s most powerful crop, and then set out to follow it from a seed to the dinner plate.

Watch a 20-minute clip from KING CORN on Independent Lens, a weekly series airing on PBS. Hosted by Terrence Howard, the acclaimed series showcases powerful and innovative independent films. Presented by ITVS, Independent Lens is broadcast on PBS stations nationwide.

Visit the Web site for more:
http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/kingcorn/

INDEPENDENT LENS | King Corn | Extended Clip | PBS

From the archives:

Born Of The Sun – Egypt (must-see)

Dennis Kucinich Introduces Right to Know Legislation (anti-GMO)

Michael Pollan on “Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual” + Food, Inc.

Bill Moyers Journal: Hunger in America with Michael Pollan + An American Abroad

Slow Food Nation Attracts 50,000—Beneath The Surface

Sustainable Food (UCLA Lecture) + Homegrown Revolution

Monsanto – Public Enemy No. 1 By Siv O’Neall

The World According to Monsanto – A documentary that Americans won’t ever see (video)