Corn is also vulnerable because, at least here in the US, big seed companies like Monsanto and BSF have had their way with the corn genome for years. Growing it requires huge amounts of nitrogen fertilizers, which end up polluting rivers and lakes, causing huge algae blooms. In the right conditions, commercially bred corn is a superstar. But if heat spikes and rains don’t come at the right time, it’s vulnerable. In the highly engineered varieties of corn that most farmers grow, much of its rich genetic diversity has been bred out and what is left is an army of high-yielding inbred
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