This is an appropriate day for FARMPOSTING, and my first ever attempted thread will be on the tropical grass Zea Mays, or CORN.

- it's native to Central America
- now covers >125,000 square miles of American continent
- along with SOY, is a pillar of the industrial food system https://twitter.com/iEatOrganMeat/status/1221639892209479681

Most people agree that CORN tastes amazing...

it's also:

- easy to grow
- easy to harvest
- easy to preserve, such as freezing, which is what I've done here (pic)

Most people enjoy corn corn in its natural state, but it is most commonly made into FOOD PRODUCTS...

Over two-thirds (2/3) of all processed food contains corn, and out of 45,000 items in a common American grocery store, over 25% contain corn in one form or another.

Other popular uses of corn include livestock feed and ethanol, which I will touch on later in this thread.

COMMON CORN PRODUCTS:

- modified/unmodified corn starch
- glucose syrup
- maltodextrin
- crystalline fructose
- ascorbic acid
- lecithin
- dextrose
- lactic acid
- lysine
- maltose
- high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)
- monosodium glutamate (MSG)
- polyols
- xanthan gum
- coloring

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

- 55% fructose, 45% glucose
- 17.5 bill. pounds of corn (out of ~530 mill bushels) is made into HFCS
- average 32 oz. soda/pop contains 86g HFCS
- average annual American consumption is ~65 pounds HFCS

A chicken McNugget is made of 38 ingredients, 13 of which are derived from CORN

- corn-fed chicken
- mod. corn starch
- corn flour (batter)
- corn oil
- leavenings & lecithin
- mono-, di-, & triglycerides
- citric acid ("freshener")
- golden coloring

CORN PROCESSING consists of subdividing each individual kernel

- skin for vitamin/nutrient supplements
- germ/embryo for oils
- endosperm for complex carbohydrates

This is done by the companies (General Mills, McDonald's, Coca-Cola, etc.) who use it for their food products.

Processed corn is utilized as:

- citric/lactic acid, glucose, fructose, maltodextrin, ethanol (alcohol/fuel), sorbitol, mannitol, xanthan gum, starches, dextrins, cyclodextrins, MSG, and many more things.

Check the ingredients on most food labels and corn is bound to turn up.

60% of corn goes into feeding LIVESTOCK.

Corn will make an animal fatter, yielding more $$$ for weight and allows the animal to reach appropriate growth for slaughter at a much faster rate.

However, most animals, such as cows, are NOT corn eaters by nature, but thrive on grass.

Cows, sheep, bison and other animals are RUMINANTS, with stomachs literally designed to digest and convert grass into high-quality protein.

Corn actually causes microbial issues with these animals, resulting in the use of synthetic estrogens & antibiotics (Rumesin & Tylosine).

A typical pH level of a RUMEN is neutral, but corn increases acidity.

Too much starch (esp. with not enough fiber) in the diet greatly hinders rumination, and a coating of foam/slime develops in the rumen which traps gas and causes extreme inflammation.

Corn-fed meat is composed of more saturated fat, but less omega-3 fatty acids than grass-fed meat, meaning it is less healthy to consume.

Most research confirms that health issues associated with red meat are actually attributable to corn-fed meat and commercial practices.

Almost the entire meat industry comes from the companies Tyson (IBP), Cargill (Excel), Swift and Company, and National.

Cargill and ADM alone buy ~ 1/3 of American corn.

The American government spends ~ $5 bill./year to subsidize commercial corn farming.

It costs ~ $2.50 to grow a bushel of corn.

Every bushel of industrial corn requires 1/4-1/3 gallon of oil to grow (~ 50 gallons per acre of corn).

About 1/5th of American petroleum is being used to produce/transport food.

Hybrid corn consumes more fertilizer than any crop.

Land in the "corn belt" is quickly becoming sterilized and losing vast amounts of topsoil and organic matter.

In the case of Iowa, only 2% of the land is still unused prairie, and yet the state still imports 80% of its food.

Our soil is being turned to desert for CORN SYRUP.

Corn IS NOT part of the traditional European diet.

Culturally, it is part of the native Mexican/Central/South American cuisine, and currently makes up ~40% of the average Mexican diet.

However, due to White America's high consumption of corn products, our DNA has more corn...

During photosynthesis, corn creates compounds with four carbon atoms (C-4) whereas most plants only make three C atoms.

This allows corn to limit water loss and "fix" more carbon from the air than other plants, resulting in a caloric/energy dense food.

A C-4 plant, with this special ability, takes in a Carbon 13 isotope.

C-3 plants take in the Carbon 12 isotope.

So, the higher ratio of C13 to C12 in a person's DNA, the more corn in their diet.

Compared to DNA of Mexicans, American bodies have more C13 isotopes (CORN).