Source 5: Demaree-Saddler, H. (n.d.). Thailand rice, corn production bounces back. Retrieved from https://www.world-grain.com/articles/13433-thailand-rice-corn-production-bounces-back

Summary: Thailand’s corn production is expected to recover from weather and pest problems. Corn production is anticipated to increase to 5.6 million tonnes, a 25% increase compared to last year. This is likely due in large part to armyworm outbreaks in the fall finally being contained. Thailand’s corn feed demand is expected to grow as the swine, poultry, and aquaculture markets continue to grow. 

Response: In contrast to many other countries suffering from the effects of climate change, it seems as though Thailand has had the situation work out in its favor. The weather has been less than ideal for the past couple of years but has definitely turned around recently. What’s most interesting to me is Thailand’s increasing usage of aquaculture. There are some areas with large-scale indoor fish farms, which makes me wonder about the possibility of something like aquaponics becoming a significant component of their farming. They appear to have the facilities and resources to do it, so the question is whether or not it can gain enough traction to pull focus and support from traditional farming techniques.

Source 4: LaPenta, D. (2020, February 21). Genetics of how corn can adapt faster to new climates. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/02/200221160739.htm

Summary: Researchers have identified the genetic components that allow corn from tropical environments to be adapted to the temperate US summer growing season. They believe that if they can expand the genetic base by incorporating exotic varieties, they might be able to account for new challenges corn farmers are facing in a changing climate, such as emerging diseases and drought.

Response: Finally, some good news. Amidst all the concerns about not being able to grow corn in changing climates comes a way around the challenges. Introducing these genetically modified varieties of corn would not only allow for crop production to get back up to its normal level, it would set a precedent for the future. Genetically modified crops have been around for a long time, but those have mainly been made to be resistant to pests and chemicals. These crops have been adapted to grow in a wildly different climate from what they’re used to. To me, this not only implies the possibility of any crop being able to be grown anywhere in the world, but it also suggests that humans will be able to adapt to the changing climate, even if it begins to become recognizable. While this isn’t my preferred scenario, it does give me some assurance that we won’t simply die out. 

Source 2: Reidy, S. (2020, March 18). Argentina’s corn exports dip. Retrieved from https://www.world-grain.com/articles/13423-argentinas-corn-exports-dip

Summary: Argentina’s corn exports were down compared to a previous record, mainly due to a drop in production. Exports totaled 33.5 million tonnes, compared to a record 37 million tonnes in the same period last year. Exports then were helped by record production, a favorable currency exchange rate, and an increase in demand. The Rosario Board of Trade also said that exports could be changing because of uncertainty regarding the global economy due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Response: Again, corn farmers’ production was hindered by the absence of weather patterns they were able to rely on just last year. This highlights how quickly climate change can take effect. If Argentina was able to drop from a record high to below average, what could happen in the next year? If the same pattern happened to the same degree on the global scale, there would be widespread food shortages and economic collapses all over the place. If mitigating climate change is no longer an option (which it’s beginning to feel like is the case), then we better find a way to adapt to it pretty quick.

Source 1: Buchenroth, K. (2020, March 8). In Brazil, it’s time to pay attention to “safrinha” corn – Ohio Ag Net: Ohio’s Country Journal. Retrieved from https://www.ocj.com/2020/03/in-brazil-its-time-to-pay-attention-to-safrinha-corn/

Summary: With half of the soybean harvest complete in Brazil by Mar 5, the second corn crop, also known as “safrinha”, is starting to be planted. This start is later than normal due to a delay in the soybean crop caused by irregular rains in the last quarter of 2019. The late planting makes the second corn crop more susceptible to yield losses caused by dryness and freezing temperatures during pollination and grain filling. Despite the delay, Brazil is likely to increase its area planted by around 3% in response to very competitive prices.

Response: The biggest theme present in almost every article I found about corn in the world right now is that irregularities in the weather have been causing problems. The weather patterns farmers have been following for decades are no longer happening in the same way, resulting in disruption at nearly every level of production. The farmers individually are losing income, the distributors have less product, and consumers are having to pay more. This is a prime example of how climate change is not just some abstract problem, but something that is affecting nearly everyone’s daily lives in a major way right now.

Source 5: Freeling, Nicole. (2019, May 14) Students wow with science and solutions at 5th annual Grad Slam. Retrieved from https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/students-wow-science-and-solutions-5th-annual-grad-slam

Summary: UC Davis student Katie Murphy described research that uses genetics and breeding solutions to make corn less vulnerable to disease. Murphy claims that so much corn is lost to fungus each year that it could fill a cornfield the size of Florida. Her research has uncovered the fact that some corn varieties produce their own compounds to fight off fungal disease. Scientists like Murphy are working to harness those chemicals for use with different varieties of corn, as well as other crops. This is expected to reduce pesticide use, produce more food, and create genetically stronger plants to ensure food for the future.

Response: Although more food definitely sounds like a good thing, a reoccuring theme in many of the other articles I’ve read has been how surpluses of corn are driving prices down, leaving corn farmers in a tight spot. Nonetheless, this research is pretty cool. Perhaps a possibility to look into for the future could be figuring out how we might be able to manipulate corn’s genes to make it more nutrient efficient, allowing us to grow the same amount or even more in the same space.

Source 4: Perkins, jerry. (2019, September 19) Corn-Based Ethanol Plants Diversify to Survive. Retrieved from https://www.agriculture.com/news/business/corn-based-ethanol-plants-diversify-to-survive

Summary: The ethanol production plant in Pixley, California produces slightly more at 57 million gallons of ethanol fuel a year. They generate their own electricity with co-generation units. The Pixley plant can use natural gas or biogas produced by digesting dairy cattle manure. The co-generation of power lowers the plant’s carbon intensity, as it means the plant doesn’t use electricity from the grid, much of which is derived from coal. Several years ago, the plant installed a bio-digester that produces biogas from the manure of a large neighboring dairy. The biogas is used as a substitute for natural gas.

Response: Ethanol fuel is definitely a preferable alternative to fossil fuels. The fact that the plant is using renewable energy to produce the ethanol fuel is even better. Hopefully, more places will follow this example, and ethanol will eventually phase out regular gasoline. If it were to get this popular, corn farmers might be helped out significantly, as there would be a higher demand for corn that might offset its super low prices.

Source 3: McCrimmin, Ryan. (2019, August 13) Prevented planting skyrockets, corn prices drop. Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-agriculture/2019/08/13/prevented-planting-skyrockets-corn-prices-drop-715153

Summary: In California, the beverage industry collected enough signatures to get a measure on the state ballot to bar cities from imposing any tax, not just soda taxes, without two-thirds approval from voters. However, the soda lobby offered to withdraw the ballot initiative (which could have greatly affected city budgets) if state lawmakers passed a bill blocking all new soda taxes. Legislators in Sacramento agreed, and California’s preemption law went into effect last year and continues until 2030. Soda taxes already enacted in cities like Berkeley were grandfathered in. 

Response: High fructose corn syrup is probably one of if not the most common ways Americans consume corn, so it’s not surprising that the beverage companies that rely on it so much are fighting so hard for their continued ability to use it. However, sugary sodas are not the only way HFCS is making its way into our systems. I had to go to the 14th page of Google to find all these articles, which was partly the result of dozens of other articles about candy corn coming up. Americans love sugar, and it’s making my homework harder.

Source 2: Rettke, Dennis. (2019, June 19) California sweet corn production moves into Central Valley. Retrieved from https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9117190/california-sweet-corn-production-moves-into-central-valley/

Summary: The corn season in the western United States is about to complete its transition from the Imperial Valley to the San Joaquin Valley. Now that temperatures have become consistently hot in the south, growers in the Central Valley will be producing corn through September or October, marking the end of the Imperial Valley corn season. There were later than average starts for both the Imperial Valley and the Central Valley due to a cooler than normal spring, as well as rains.

Response: I had never considered the migratory patterns of farming. It definitely makes sense now, as weather patterns would make different regions more desirable at different times. I’m curious as to the effect this has on the farmers who grow different things at different points of the year; do the different crops offer a relatively stable income year-round, or are certain seasons more lucrative than others?

Source 1: Hartig, Steve. (2019, November 10) North American Outlook on Biofuels Challenges and Opportunities. Retrieved from http://www.altenergystocks.com/archives/2019/11/north-american-outlook-on-biofuels-challenges-and-opportunities/

Summary: There is a big problem being created for corn farmers as oversupply drives prices down. This is only amplified by the increasing opportunities for corn to be used in ethanol fuel, but the relatively low demand for this fuel. There is some debate as to the cause of this shift in demand, but it seems to be a combination of low or no growth in gasoline demand, significantly added ethanol capacity, a slow rise in higher-level ethanol blends, and the EPA Small Refinery Exemptions. Changes in corn pricing this year due to weather also affect the situation.

Response: As people shift towards alternative power sources, the demand for the components of traditional sources decreases. Although this is bad for the people who produce those components, I think the new energy sources are better in the long run. The article talked about some of these alternative power sources, such as landfill gas, anaerobic digestion to biomethane combined with cogeneration of electricity and steam, and solar or biomass boilers. All of them seem like a better alternative to carbon-based fuel for the future.