Short Corn Is Growing Stronger in US Midwest
2024-10-03
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1Fields of tall corn plants are a common thing to see in the Midwest United States in late summer.
2They are as much a part of rural America as big red barns and cows.
3But soon, tall corn plants might become shorter, replaced by plants only half as tall.
4Cameron Sorgenfrey is a farmer in the Midwestern state of Iowa.
5He has been growing newly developed short corn for several years.
6His neighbors sometimes have questions about his smaller corn plants.
7"As you drive across the Midwest, maybe in the next seven, eight, 10 years, you're going to see a lot of this out there," Sorgenfrey said.
8"I think this is going to change agriculture in the Midwest," he added.
9Bayer Crop Science developed the short corn and tested it on 12,141 hectares in the Midwest.
10One promise the company made to farmers was a kind of corn that could survive powerful windstorms.
11The corn is not only shorter, but it also has a larger base.
12It can withstand winds of up to 80 kilometers per hour.
13The smaller plants can grow closer together than taller kinds.
14That means farmers can grow more corn on the same amount of land, which increases their profits.
15This will help farmers facing lower corn prices in recent years.
16The smaller plants could also lead to less water use.
17Dior Kelley is an assistant professor at Iowa State University.
18She is researching different possibilities for growing shorter corn.
19She said that because corn is the largest crop in the United States, more widespread use of the small kind will have a large effect.
20"It is huge. It's a big, fundamental shift," Kelley said.
21Last year, American farmers grew more than 363 million metric tons of corn.
22Most was used for animal feed, the fuel additive ethanol, or exported to other countries.
23Scientists have long tried to develop better kinds of corn plants.
24But it has become more important for corn to grow even in very hot weather or when there is a lack of rain.
25Strong winds are another danger.
26In August 2020, a strong windstorm in the Midwest caused $11 billion in damage.
27It flattened both trees and corn plants only weeks before harvest time.
28Kelley said she likes the idea of short corn.
29But she warns that short plants have their own problems to consider.
30For example, corn cobs that grow closer to the soil could be more at risk to diseases or mold.
31Brian Leake is a Bayer spokesperson.
32He said the company has been developing short corn for more than 20 years.
33In a few years, he hopes farmers will be growing short corn everywhere.
34I'm Jill Robbins.
1Fields of tall corn plants are a common thing to see in the Midwest United States in late summer. They are as much a part of rural America as big red barns and cows. 2But soon, tall corn plants might become shorter, replaced by plants only half as tall. 3Cameron Sorgenfrey is a farmer in the Midwestern state of Iowa. He has been growing newly developed short corn for several years. His neighbors sometimes have questions about his smaller corn plants. 4Changing agriculture 5"As you drive across the Midwest, maybe in the next seven, eight, 10 years, you're going to see a lot of this out there," Sorgenfrey said. "I think this is going to change agriculture in the Midwest," he added. 6Bayer Crop Science developed the short corn and tested it on 12,141 hectares in the Midwest. One promise the company made to farmers was a kind of corn that could survive powerful windstorms. The corn is not only shorter, but it also has a larger base. It can withstand winds of up to 80 kilometers per hour. 7The smaller plants can grow closer together than taller kinds. That means farmers can grow more corn on the same amount of land, which increases their profits. This will help farmers facing lower corn prices in recent years. The smaller plants could also lead to less water use. 8Dior Kelley is an assistant professor at Iowa State University. She is researching different possibilities for growing shorter corn. She said that because corn is the largest crop in the United States, more widespread use of the small kind will have a large effect. 9Huge difference 10"It is huge. It's a big, fundamental shift," Kelley said. 11Last year, American farmers grew more than 363 million metric tons of corn. Most was used for animal feed, the fuel additive ethanol, or exported to other countries. 12Scientists have long tried to develop better kinds of corn plants. But it has become more important for corn to grow even in very hot weather or when there is a lack of rain. Strong winds are another danger. In August 2020, a strong windstorm in the Midwest caused $11 billion in damage. It flattened both trees and corn plants only weeks before harvest time. 13Kelley said she likes the idea of short corn. But she warns that short plants have their own problems to consider. For example, corn cobs that grow closer to the soil could be more at risk to diseases or mold. 14Brian Leake is a Bayer spokesperson. He said the company has been developing short corn for more than 20 years. In a few years, he hopes farmers will be growing short corn everywhere. 15I'm Jill Robbins. 16Scott McFetridge reported this story for the Associated Press. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. 17______________________________________________ 18Words in This Story 19barn - n. a building on a farm that is used for storing grain and hay and for housing farm animals or equipment 20fundamental - adj. forming or relating to the most important part of something 21What do you think of this story? Write to us in the Comments Section.