Obama and Corn

There’s nothing more exciting than opening up the mailbox and seeing a letter from the White House, as I did this earlier week. It was a form letter from President Obama thanking me for sharing my concerns about the health and wellness of Americans, and promising that he is working hard to address the issues I’d raised. It lacked the personal touch I’d gotten from the First Lady, but was thrilling and empowering all the same.

I wrote a letter to the President about two months ago to tell him that eliminating corn subsidies is the way to begin improving American’s health while moving towards a more sustainable agricultural system. Although corn subsidies represent a political minefield, their elimination would be an efficient way for our government to take on a number of problems at once.

Since 1995, $73.8 billion has been spent propping up the corn industry. Farmers are paid a set amount for their corn, regardless of the market price, which is then used in everything from soda to Twinkies to chicken nuggets. I’ll leave it to the nutritionists to debate whether corn syrup is worse for you than cane sugar, but the fact remains that the abundant corn supply is what fuels the copious amounts of the least healthy food available to Americans today. I’ve heard it argued that this food is important because it provides cheap calories for low-income consumers, but do we really need more cheap calories? With one-third of Americans begin obese, I think we can agree that cheap calories are no longer be a priority. What Americans need is affordable, nutritious food which can compete with the hyper-processed grub sold at the grocery store. The problem is that whole foods like vegetables offer limited marketability and profit for the major food processors compared to the food which contain corn by-products. Government policy often values capitalism over public health, and so corn subsidies have become a central and dominant part of our food system.

Ending corn subsidies will not be an easy political decision, even in this time of panicky cuts at the federal budget. American farmers are struggling, and taking away this source of income would necessitate thoughtful planning and consideration of market influences to be successful. This would be an opportunity for America to encourage the production of healthier foods and a more diversified food industry.

Cutting corn subsidies probably won’t have much of an effect upon the price of soda and fast food. What it would do, however, is send a clear signal that our government is committed to transitioning towards healthier and more sustainable farming.

If you’re interested in learning more about corn and how the industry works, the documentary King Corn by Curt Ellis is the best place to start.