Fun Science about Corn!!!

I just read this pretty cool article about growing corn and paused, mid-essay, to share my excitement. My prompt is to write about the most effective conservation plan in America today, so of course I decided to write about how our food system can be tweaked. (I'm sure many of us could have written this essay from memory, courtesy of food class! However, having to go back and find research behind the things floating in my brain was a pain)

Anyways, I wrote about raising beef and feed lots and monocultures and all of that good stuff, focusing on a few main changes we can work towards, including diversifying/better rotating crops! Gaudin et al. did this study, where they looked at crop yields from a variety of corn and soybean farms, which used lots of different techniques. They looked at everything from the basic monoculture, to rotation systems with 3 crops, 2 cover crops, and reduced tillage. You guessed it, the more complicated systems proved to be the best! Specifically, Gaudin et al. looked at how crops fared during times of abnormal or unfavorable weather. The highest/most reliable yields came from farms that use rotations, cover crops, and reduced tillage. Although it is more work to complicate corn farming, the benefits seem to be undeniable. Not only is the corn-growing better, but other profitable crops can be added to the mix. If farmers can make money off of their land for more months every year, why wouldn't they?

Wow, love it when the science works out the way you want it to!

Here's a screenshot of the article, if anybody's interested in doing a little extra reading during this hellish and absurdly busy couple of weeks at the end of the semester ;)