As you may know, corn is one of the main U.S. agricultural crops. If you have seen the movie 'Food inc.', then you might also know that the united states subsidizes it's production of corn. Through subsidizing corn, the production cost of beef and poultry are lowered. This is because most meat we consume are fed corn rather than allowing the animals to graze since corn is so readily available and can be purchased at such a low rate. It's true, this might seem nice when your at the grocery store looking to purchase meat or you're out at a restaurant ordering a steak because the prices will obviously be cheaper. I've never heard of anyone complaining that something was too cheap when they're spending their money to purchase it. Unfortunately, this is only the small picture. Aside from the negative health impacts some corn bi-products may have on consumers, there is also the matter of how this could affect other developing countries.
The United States is producing so much corn at such low production costs that it is inevitably effecting other countries. The U.S. exports corn and corn bi-products to other countries such as Brazil, Mexico, etc., where there are those who depend on farming to make a living. With the U.S. exporting to these countries at such low costs, those who farm in these developing countries cannot compete, thus poverty progresses. Is it really worth it?
Posted by Michael Huang
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