AGRICULTURE REPORT - Corn, Part 1

AGRICULTURE REPORT — November 26, 2002: Corn, Part 1

By Mario Ritter

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Corn is an important crop in many parts of the world. However, some people are concerned that corn has become
too important in agricultural planning and production.

Michael Pollan is an expert in plants and agriculture. He wrote a popular book
called “The Botany of Desire.” The book discusses how humans and plants have
developed together. Mister Pollan also has spoken about the use of corn in
agriculture and other industries. He says that American farmers grow too much
corn.

Recently, Mister Pollan spoke¹ to the Christian² Science Monitor newspaper. He told

the newspaper that corn is popular because it grows well with fertilizer. Today,
farmers produce about six times more corn per hectare than farmers did one- hundred years ago. This is the result
of new kinds of corn and the use of large amounts of fertilizer.

Modern fertilizers can be made in a number of ways. Corn mostly uses fertilizer that
is high in nitrogen. Nitrogen fertilizer is made by combining nitrogen from the air
with hydrogen from natural gas. In the United States, large oil companies produce
the chemical base used for nitrogen fertilizer.

Researchers for the Department of Agriculture have shown that corn requires about
eighty-nine kilograms of fertilizer per hectare. Many crops require less fertilizer.
Some crops require just as much. However, corn has lower amounts of protein,
vitamins and minerals than other crops.

Corn is used to feed cows for about four months before
they are killed for meat. The result is meat, or beef, that
is high in fat, which makes the beef taste better.

However, cattle do not normally eat grain. Their
stomachs and intestines³ do not process grain well.
Instead, their stomachs produce much more acid than is normal. Mister Pollan says
this condition permits harmful bacteria to survive and reproduce⁴. For this reason,
farmers must give cattle drugs to control bacteria. Also, the meat of corn-fed cattle
lacks some nutrients⁵ found in the meat of cattle that eat mostly grass.

Corn has become the most important grain for feeding cattle raised for beef. Yet, some experts say it is not the
best food for cattle. Next week, we will tell about other industrial uses for corn. Some of them may be surprising.

This VOA Special English AGRICULTURE REPORT was written by Mario Ritter

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A field of guinea corn in
Nigeria
(VOA Photo - Rosanne Skirble)

1 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 intestines   

n.肠( intestine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perhaps the most serious problems occur in the stomach and intestines. 最严重的问题或许出现在胃和肠里。 来自辞典例句
• The traps of carnivorous plants function a little like the stomachs and small intestines of animals. 食肉植物的捕蝇器起着动物的胃和小肠的作用。 来自辞典例句

4 reproduce   

v.生育，繁殖，复制，重做

参考例句：

• The machine can reproduce a key in two minutes.这机器能在两分钟内复制一把钥匙。
• The picture will reproduce well.这照片会印得很清楚。

5 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》