king-corn

Grand Rapids, Michigan has only seen three 100 degree plus days since 1953. The reason? Scientists speculate that it could be due to the corn that’s been planted there over the past 60 years. Corn increases the amount of water vapor released into the atmosphere, decreasing the amount of energy available to heat up the air. Corn could also be the culprit since many farmers do not remove the corn plant after the harvest, allowing the plant to suck up more water, releasing more water vapor, hence participating in this phenomenon. According to Iowa State University, corn production yields have jumped and so has the acreage committed to corn. In 2010, record amounts of land in the United States was being used for corn planting, with 87.87 million acres of corn, up from 86.5 million in 2009.

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