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A meal can change you.
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That happened to me in the cornfields
of the Yucatán nearly 20 years ago.
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00:00:34,743 --> 00:00:37,325
It was my first trip to Mexico,
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00:00:37,329 --> 00:00:40,995
and I found myself in the
tiny village of Yaxuná,
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00:00:40,999 --> 00:00:44,294
where a family cooked me a
meal I can still taste today.
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00:00:46,213 --> 00:00:49,212
A mind-bending mix of
flavors and textures
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00:00:49,216 --> 00:00:53,679
teased from ingredients grown
just meters from where we ate.
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00:00:55,180 --> 00:00:58,805
And there, at the center of
it all, the mighty tortilla.
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Made just minutes before, from
corn grown in the backyard.
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00:01:04,897 --> 00:01:06,400
It was a revelation.
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00:01:06,984 --> 00:01:11,029
So different from the hard shell
tortillas I'd suffered in Denmark.
12
00:01:13,156 --> 00:01:14,324
It made me think,
13
00:01:15,075 --> 00:01:17,119
"What have I been
missing out on?"
14
00:01:18,787 --> 00:01:20,873
Turns out a lot.
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00:01:23,834 --> 00:01:29,460
Corn originated in Mexico
approximately 10,000 years ago,
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00:01:29,464 --> 00:01:32,384
growing as a wild
grass called teocintle.
17
00:01:32,968 --> 00:01:38,052
Today, it covers more of the
Earth's surface than any other crop,
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00:01:38,056 --> 00:01:42,811
serving as a vital staple, from
the Americas to central Africa.
19
00:01:47,524 --> 00:01:50,315
But corn is more than food.
20
00:01:50,319 --> 00:01:52,487
It's one of the building
blocks of modern life.
21
00:01:54,198 --> 00:01:56,821
A multibillion-dollar
global industry
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00:01:56,825 --> 00:02:00,287
positioned at the center of
our industrialized world.
23
00:02:05,792 --> 00:02:08,961
How did corn become the most
powerful plant on earth?
24
00:02:09,963 --> 00:02:14,510
And what does it mean for
the future of food, and us?
25
00:03:39,720 --> 00:03:42,051
For ten days every August,
26
00:03:42,055 --> 00:03:46,055
Des Moines is home to America's
greatest love letter to corn,
27
00:03:46,059 --> 00:03:47,603
the Iowa State Fair.
28
00:03:49,104 --> 00:03:52,478
Almost everything you
can eat or drink here
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00:03:52,482 --> 00:03:54,860
is made from some form of corn.
30
00:03:55,736 --> 00:03:58,030
But it all starts with the cob.
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00:03:58,614 --> 00:04:03,035
Golden, delicious,
sweet corn kernels
32
00:04:03,827 --> 00:04:07,623
bathed in a tide
of melted butter.
33
00:04:11,960 --> 00:04:13,791
There are few food memories
34
00:04:13,795 --> 00:04:17,716
that compare to that first
bite of fresh summer corn.
35
00:04:21,720 --> 00:04:24,932
The pop of the kernels
paired with butter.
36
00:04:26,099 --> 00:04:29,603
The combination of
sweet, savory, starchy.
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00:04:30,312 --> 00:04:33,398
As a bite, it's
close to perfect.
38
00:04:37,611 --> 00:04:43,071
But what makes corn truly unique
is the myriad of other foods
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00:04:43,075 --> 00:04:45,619
this ingredient
can transform into.
40
00:04:47,913 --> 00:04:50,370
It thickens. It sweetens.
41
00:04:50,374 --> 00:04:52,918
It emulsifies. It adds texture.
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00:04:54,670 --> 00:04:59,883
This is due to three main
components: sugar, fat and starch.
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00:05:01,802 --> 00:05:06,390
Fat is easy. Squeeze the kernels
hard enough and you get oil.
44
00:05:07,641 --> 00:05:09,977
Corn's sugar turns into syrup.
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00:05:10,811 --> 00:05:13,730
Just as sweet as table sugar
and cheaper to produce.
46
00:05:16,692 --> 00:05:18,485
Starch gives crunch.
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00:05:18,986 --> 00:05:23,532
If you eat something crispy or flaky,
chances are you have cornstarch to thank.
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00:05:36,170 --> 00:05:40,712
All told, scientists have
found a way to transform corn
49
00:05:40,716 --> 00:05:43,218
into hundreds of
food derivatives.
50
00:05:43,844 --> 00:05:47,177
That's how it came to dominate
the State Fair in Iowa
51
00:05:47,181 --> 00:05:49,600
and grocery stores
across the country.
52
00:05:55,939 --> 00:05:59,731
More than a quarter of the
items in an American supermarket
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00:05:59,735 --> 00:06:02,362
contain corn in some
form or another.
54
00:06:20,631 --> 00:06:22,128
I'll give you all the sauce.
55
00:06:22,132 --> 00:06:24,005
Make sure they
don't give him any.
56
00:06:24,009 --> 00:06:25,256
I'll take one of those.
57
00:06:25,260 --> 00:06:27,133
- This one?
- Yeah. That'd be good.
58
00:06:27,137 --> 00:06:28,510
You're gonna eat some?
59
00:06:28,514 --> 00:06:30,720
I reckon we could get
one or two or three.
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00:06:30,724 --> 00:06:32,347
- There you go.
- It's not hot.
61
00:06:32,351 --> 00:06:34,182
- The veggies aren't hot.
- There you go.
62
00:06:34,186 --> 00:06:36,518
Grandma needs
potatoes too, Colton.
63
00:06:36,522 --> 00:06:38,311
Who wants to eat?
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00:06:38,315 --> 00:06:40,813
- Here, Dad.
- Here, honey. I can take that.
65
00:06:40,817 --> 00:06:43,024
I got it.
66
00:06:43,028 --> 00:06:44,817
This is one of her best dishes,
67
00:06:44,821 --> 00:06:46,861
so she makes this for us
once every couple of weeks.
68
00:07:03,757 --> 00:07:05,801
{\an8}I've been farming for 34 years.
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00:07:07,302 --> 00:07:08,967
{\an8}When I was two years old,
70
00:07:08,971 --> 00:07:11,807
{\an8}Dad used to take me with
him on the tractors.
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00:07:12,599 --> 00:07:13,767
Loved it ever since.
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00:07:16,311 --> 00:07:20,232
I would be the fourth generation.
My boy would be the fifth.
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00:07:21,191 --> 00:07:23,652
{\an8}Grandpa gave it to Dad.
Dad helped me get started.
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00:07:24,152 --> 00:07:26,029
{\an8}I want to help my
boys get started.
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00:07:30,909 --> 00:07:33,662
Corn is king. That's what they
say in Iowa. Corn is king.
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00:07:34,288 --> 00:07:37,662
Our soil and our weather patterns
is very conducive to corn,
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00:07:37,666 --> 00:07:40,502
and we can really
optimize the corn plant.
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00:07:42,588 --> 00:07:46,425
That's our number one
crop for most Iowa farms.
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00:07:47,426 --> 00:07:49,595
Most Midwestern farms, really.
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00:07:52,347 --> 00:07:54,308
Colton, come here
and look at this one.
81
00:08:00,022 --> 00:08:01,023
Right here.
82
00:08:01,732 --> 00:08:02,896
I mean, look at this.
83
00:08:02,900 --> 00:08:06,069
Here we go. Look at this
bad boy. Now we're cooking.
84
00:08:09,656 --> 00:08:12,367
When you can plant
one little, tiny seed
85
00:08:12,951 --> 00:08:15,700
and in 160 days,
86
00:08:15,704 --> 00:08:19,120
you have this ginormous stalk
with this ginormous ear on it.
87
00:08:19,124 --> 00:08:20,830
I mean, that's kinda cool.
88
00:08:20,834 --> 00:08:23,708
It makes you so thankful
that you did this.
89
00:08:23,712 --> 00:08:25,668
That's gonna be good
corn. It's super big.
90
00:08:25,672 --> 00:08:27,504
Yes, sir. That's big corn there.
91
00:08:27,508 --> 00:08:28,675
Yep.
92
00:08:31,094 --> 00:08:35,345
Looking out at the vast fields
of the American Midwest,
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00:08:35,349 --> 00:08:38,018
it's hard not to be
impressed by corn.
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00:08:39,602 --> 00:08:43,899
We grow more of it than any
other ingredient in the world.
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00:08:44,816 --> 00:08:47,236
1.1 billion tons globally.
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00:08:48,111 --> 00:08:53,742
From the Far East to southern
Europe to Latin America,
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00:08:54,785 --> 00:08:57,579
corn dominates the
agricultural landscape.
98
00:08:59,957 --> 00:09:03,502
But no country produces
more than the United States,
99
00:09:04,086 --> 00:09:08,549
where the cornfields alone would
cover an area the size of Germany.
100
00:09:09,758 --> 00:09:15,722
It's so much corn, satellite sensors can
see it photosynthesizing from outer space.
101
00:09:29,987 --> 00:09:33,111
Growing corn, to be good at it,
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00:09:33,115 --> 00:09:35,701
you have to pay really a
lot of attention to detail.
103
00:09:36,326 --> 00:09:40,118
It's definitely not just hooking up a
plow to a tractor like it used to be.
104
00:09:40,122 --> 00:09:41,957
It's much more
complex than that.
105
00:09:42,749 --> 00:09:47,004
We need to maximize every
acre to get the maximum yield,
106
00:09:47,754 --> 00:09:52,050
so it can be profitable for us but it
can still be cheaper for the consumer.
107
00:09:55,345 --> 00:09:57,010
Nobody quite understands us,
108
00:09:57,014 --> 00:10:00,851
but we have so many dollars tied
up in the equipment we're running
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00:10:01,351 --> 00:10:04,021
and the cost of land.
110
00:10:07,232 --> 00:10:11,403
You know, one tractor could cost
500 to 600 thousand dollars.
111
00:10:13,530 --> 00:10:17,409
So you got so many dollars
wrapped up doing what we're doing.
112
00:10:46,730 --> 00:10:48,937
{\an8}This is actually gonna
be better than up north.
113
00:10:48,941 --> 00:10:52,361
Remember we thought up north is gonna
be the best because of more rain but...
114
00:10:53,570 --> 00:10:56,031
I think this is gonna be really
good. It looks like to me.
115
00:11:00,994 --> 00:11:02,454
What's it yield-wise?
116
00:11:03,622 --> 00:11:06,583
It's from 220 to 270.
117
00:11:50,127 --> 00:11:53,046
Industrialized corn
is all around us.
118
00:11:53,589 --> 00:11:57,593
We consume it all the time,
often without even knowing it.
119
00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:03,223
We brush our teeth with it.
We wash our clothes with it.
120
00:12:03,807 --> 00:12:06,101
And we stock our medicine
cabinets with it.
121
00:12:07,686 --> 00:12:12,566
Many of us, whether we know it or
not, fill our gas tanks with corn.
122
00:12:16,778 --> 00:12:20,361
No creation had a bigger
impact on corn's future
123
00:12:20,365 --> 00:12:23,160
than the development of ethanol.
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00:12:26,747 --> 00:12:29,917
Made by fermenting
corn into alcohol.
125
00:12:38,133 --> 00:12:43,263
{\an8}Nearly half of all US corn goes
into making this potent fuel.
126
00:12:46,808 --> 00:12:53,232
{\an8}And fuel is just one of corn's thousands
of manifestations in our modern world.
127
00:12:56,693 --> 00:13:00,818
Corn is found in everything.
From bourbon to battery acid.
128
00:13:00,822 --> 00:13:02,487
Crayons to cardboard.
129
00:13:02,491 --> 00:13:04,948
Antibiotics.
Fiberglass. Matches.
130
00:13:04,952 --> 00:13:08,243
Detergent. Cork.
Insecticides. Linoleum.
131
00:13:08,247 --> 00:13:11,621
Cigarettes. Ceramics.
Candles. Tires.
132
00:13:11,625 --> 00:13:13,710
Aspirin. Shoe polish. Makeup.
133
00:13:14,628 --> 00:13:17,798
And yes, even fireworks.
134
00:13:21,009 --> 00:13:22,841
When all is said and done,
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00:13:22,845 --> 00:13:26,890
less than 10% of US
corn is grown for food.
136
00:13:29,977 --> 00:13:32,980
It can be hard to remember
where corn comes from.
137
00:13:34,398 --> 00:13:36,855
But in many places
throughout the world,
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00:13:36,859 --> 00:13:41,734
traditional hand-grown corn
still provides a way of life,
139
00:13:41,738 --> 00:13:45,075
the same way it has
for thousands of years.
140
00:13:52,207 --> 00:13:53,458
So tasty.
141
00:13:53,959 --> 00:13:55,748
- See?
- Mine.
142
00:13:55,752 --> 00:13:57,212
Yes, it's yours.
143
00:14:03,844 --> 00:14:08,015
Since I was eight or ten years
old, I have been helping my dad
144
00:14:09,558 --> 00:14:12,227
clear the fields, cutting
down trees, planting,
145
00:14:13,187 --> 00:14:15,814
all the work of the cornfield.
146
00:14:17,065 --> 00:14:20,152
That's what we were doing.
We didn't have other work.
147
00:14:21,987 --> 00:14:24,364
Since the earliest
days of the Mayans,
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00:14:24,990 --> 00:14:26,988
communities across the Yucatán
149
00:14:26,992 --> 00:14:30,325
have depended on traditional
farming techniques
150
00:14:30,329 --> 00:14:33,790
with corn as the main staple
among dozens of crops.
151
00:14:34,625 --> 00:14:37,415
Farmers like
Francisco and Ricardo
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00:14:37,419 --> 00:14:42,424
are guardians of an ancient system
of agriculture called the milpa,
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00:14:43,175 --> 00:14:47,592
an interconnected and finely
tuned system of plants and people
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00:14:47,596 --> 00:14:50,766
where everything serves
a specific purpose.
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00:14:52,059 --> 00:14:54,849
Since we began
working the land...
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00:14:54,853 --> 00:14:56,271
Delicious!
157
00:14:56,855 --> 00:15:00,108
...our great-grandparents,
who gave us the seeds told us:
158
00:15:02,110 --> 00:15:03,987
"When you plant the corn,"
159
00:15:05,614 --> 00:15:08,659
"you have to plant navy
beans, beans or squash."
160
00:15:10,118 --> 00:15:14,077
Because the seeds can use
each other for support
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00:15:14,081 --> 00:15:15,207
when they sprout.
162
00:15:17,543 --> 00:15:23,048
The beans wrap around the corncobs so
they are held tightly and won't fall down.
163
00:15:24,842 --> 00:15:27,427
It's like someone who
is recently married.
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00:15:28,804 --> 00:15:31,223
They're hugging,
they are kissing.
165
00:15:31,932 --> 00:15:35,644
It's the same with the
seeds we're planting here.
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00:15:36,603 --> 00:15:40,937
They have to be planted with each
other so they can hug each other
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00:15:40,941 --> 00:15:43,402
when the beautiful
seeds start to sprout.
168
00:15:45,904 --> 00:15:48,240
And when everything dies
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00:15:49,533 --> 00:15:51,702
and the next planting
season arrives,
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00:15:52,703 --> 00:15:56,832
it becomes fertilizer and helps
to reinvigorate the worn-out soil.
171
00:15:59,042 --> 00:16:00,961
It's great that you
keep your seeds,
172
00:16:01,920 --> 00:16:04,590
because once you lose them
you'll depend on the companies!
173
00:16:06,633 --> 00:16:08,594
Look at the silk on that one!
174
00:16:09,511 --> 00:16:11,513
Look at these ears of corn!
175
00:16:13,849 --> 00:16:16,556
{\an8}The milpa is important
for the whole world.
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00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:18,729
That means everything,
intertwined together.
177
00:16:19,271 --> 00:16:23,442
It's not just for humans, but
also for animals and birds.
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00:16:24,401 --> 00:16:26,987
It motivates me to
work even harder.
179
00:16:27,821 --> 00:16:29,903
It's our duty and
it's our culture.
180
00:16:29,907 --> 00:16:32,197
Well, the sun is warming
up. I'm leaving now.
181
00:16:32,201 --> 00:16:33,114
Are you leaving?
182
00:16:33,118 --> 00:16:35,491
- I'm leaving. That's it for today.
- Okay, then.
183
00:16:35,495 --> 00:16:37,493
I'll call you tomorrow
to come down here.
184
00:16:37,497 --> 00:16:38,582
Okay.
185
00:16:39,124 --> 00:16:41,585
- And we'll both be here, together.
- That's great.
186
00:16:45,839 --> 00:16:47,670
The most important contrast
187
00:16:47,674 --> 00:16:52,721
between commodity corn and milpa
corn isn't the corn itself.
188
00:16:55,432 --> 00:16:57,809
It's the ecosystem
surrounding it.
189
00:16:58,977 --> 00:17:04,687
In a milpa, corn grows alongside
other plants like beans and squash,
190
00:17:04,691 --> 00:17:06,814
each playing a supporting role
191
00:17:06,818 --> 00:17:10,781
in a world where the sum
is greater than its parts.
192
00:17:11,656 --> 00:17:14,697
I think we all know that
big-scale agriculture
193
00:17:14,701 --> 00:17:16,282
comes with a series of problems.
194
00:17:16,286 --> 00:17:18,038
Such beautiful soil.
195
00:17:18,579 --> 00:17:23,292
It can rob the soil of nutrients
and water and threaten biodiversity.
196
00:17:23,877 --> 00:17:25,546
And don't get me
started on flavor.
197
00:17:26,713 --> 00:17:30,050
Polycultures like the
milpa can do the opposite.
198
00:17:30,843 --> 00:17:34,467
They create richer,
more nutrient-dense soil
199
00:17:34,471 --> 00:17:37,891
and play host to a vibrant
mix of flora and fauna.
200
00:17:39,685 --> 00:17:44,106
Surprisingly, milpas can
also be wildly efficient.
201
00:17:44,773 --> 00:17:48,106
It's complex, but in
the best examples,
202
00:17:48,110 --> 00:17:52,739
they can yield six times more calories
than a farm that grows only corn.
203
00:17:54,199 --> 00:17:56,827
And I believe it
tastes so much better.
204
00:17:58,579 --> 00:18:02,912
Richer soil. More
diversity. Higher yields.
205
00:18:02,916 --> 00:18:04,668
More deliciousness.
206
00:18:05,252 --> 00:18:06,420
What's not to love?
207
00:18:13,302 --> 00:18:16,889
Corn is very important
here in our town.
208
00:18:18,223 --> 00:18:22,686
The majority of us work
with corn every day.
209
00:18:25,272 --> 00:18:28,483
These traditions are very old.
210
00:18:31,653 --> 00:18:36,158
My ancestors: my grandmothers, my
great-grandmothers and my mother,
211
00:18:36,992 --> 00:18:39,953
all of these generations
made tortillas.
212
00:18:42,497 --> 00:18:44,750
Having corn is essential.
213
00:18:45,292 --> 00:18:46,376
Without corn...
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00:18:47,211 --> 00:18:48,337
we are nothing.
215
00:18:51,590 --> 00:18:54,839
Long ago, in early Mesoamerica,
216
00:18:54,843 --> 00:18:59,389
farmers and cooks found a way to
tap into corn's true potential.
217
00:19:01,558 --> 00:19:04,061
It's called nixtamalization.
218
00:19:04,603 --> 00:19:06,643
A process of soaking the kernels
219
00:19:06,647 --> 00:19:10,359
in a mixture of water and
wood ash or limestone.
220
00:19:11,443 --> 00:19:15,777
A revolutionary technique
that unlocked corn's nutrients
221
00:19:15,781 --> 00:19:20,077
and created a super food that
an entire region survived on.
222
00:19:20,744 --> 00:19:22,867
They were shaped into masa dough
223
00:19:22,871 --> 00:19:28,039
and created what I consider one
of the most perfect of all foods.
224
00:19:28,043 --> 00:19:29,711
The corn tortilla.
225
00:19:45,227 --> 00:19:46,520
Like baking good bread,
226
00:19:47,062 --> 00:19:50,065
you'd think making a
tortilla should be simple.
227
00:19:50,774 --> 00:19:51,900
But it isn't.
228
00:19:54,069 --> 00:19:57,406
To me a great tortilla is
soft with a delicate chew.
229
00:19:58,699 --> 00:20:00,617
Almost melting on the tongue.
230
00:20:01,451 --> 00:20:04,705
It's fragrant,
nourishing, versatile.
231
00:20:05,205 --> 00:20:07,583
A staple of most Mexican meals.
232
00:20:14,965 --> 00:20:16,925
But tortillas are
just the beginning.
233
00:20:18,343 --> 00:20:21,138
Corn can be shaped into
thousands of dishes.
234
00:20:22,097 --> 00:20:24,053
The conduit behind
what is surely
235
00:20:24,057 --> 00:20:27,227
one of the world's most
incredible cuisines.
236
00:20:45,370 --> 00:20:50,417
It's easy to see why corn is
Mexico's most revered ingredient.
237
00:20:51,919 --> 00:20:54,338
But how did it go from this
238
00:20:54,963 --> 00:20:57,049
to an industrialized super crop?
239
00:21:03,805 --> 00:21:05,720
Good morning, everyone,
240
00:21:05,724 --> 00:21:09,144
and welcome to the 2022
Farm Progress Show.
241
00:21:25,911 --> 00:21:29,456
Today, we're excited to unveil
242
00:21:30,040 --> 00:21:34,541
the industry's first
autonomous spreader,
243
00:21:34,545 --> 00:21:35,629
right behind you.
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00:21:39,758 --> 00:21:41,089
What do you think?
245
00:21:41,093 --> 00:21:42,715
There's nobody in it.
246
00:21:42,719 --> 00:21:44,012
Yeah.
247
00:21:48,183 --> 00:21:51,140
I work here because autonomy
is gonna change farming.
248
00:21:51,144 --> 00:21:54,022
I can tell you, even as a farmer
myself, it is hard to find labor.
249
00:21:57,734 --> 00:21:59,190
It'll have six cameras on it,
250
00:21:59,194 --> 00:22:01,860
three in the front, three in
the back, for a whole 360 view.
251
00:22:01,864 --> 00:22:03,319
And it sees it, analyzes it,
252
00:22:03,323 --> 00:22:08,116
and actually the system learns more
from being out in the field and working.
253
00:22:08,120 --> 00:22:09,621
- I'll be darned.
- Yeah.
254
00:22:13,458 --> 00:22:14,914
It's all about technology.
255
00:22:14,918 --> 00:22:17,041
What's going to make a
farmer more productive?
256
00:22:17,045 --> 00:22:22,176
What's going to make them be able to grow
more corn so they can feed the world?
257
00:22:29,016 --> 00:22:32,311
Food has always been a
powerful engine for innovation.
258
00:22:34,188 --> 00:22:36,477
What better reason
to invent new tools
259
00:22:36,481 --> 00:22:39,651
than to get more food, faster?
260
00:22:47,993 --> 00:22:51,205
A major turning point
for corn came in 1837,
261
00:22:51,788 --> 00:22:54,791
when an Illinois blacksmith
found a broken saw blade
262
00:22:55,334 --> 00:22:59,421
and forged it into the
world's first steel plow.
263
00:23:00,130 --> 00:23:01,965
That man's name was John Deere.
264
00:23:04,051 --> 00:23:06,466
The invention of the steel plow
265
00:23:06,470 --> 00:23:09,552
was part of a series
of profound changes
266
00:23:09,556 --> 00:23:12,100
that altered our
relationship to nature.
267
00:23:12,684 --> 00:23:16,855
Instead of working with nature's
forces, we tried to dominate them.
268
00:23:17,481 --> 00:23:20,234
Everything possible
to maximize output.
269
00:23:21,401 --> 00:23:23,608
In the wake of World War II,
270
00:23:23,612 --> 00:23:27,991
Americans turned the weapons of
war into weapons of agriculture.
271
00:23:29,159 --> 00:23:31,787
Poisonous gases
became pesticides.
272
00:23:32,871 --> 00:23:34,373
Tanks became tractors.
273
00:23:35,332 --> 00:23:40,170
Ammonium nitrate used to make
explosives became fertilizer.
274
00:23:43,799 --> 00:23:47,010
But corn needed more than
technology to become king.
275
00:23:48,804 --> 00:23:50,472
It needed political support.
276
00:23:51,598 --> 00:23:56,307
Which it received in the form of
hundreds of billions of dollars' worth
277
00:23:56,311 --> 00:23:57,980
of government assistance.
278
00:24:00,148 --> 00:24:04,444
More than any other ingredient
in the United States.
279
00:25:00,667 --> 00:25:03,795
We've proved our ingenuity
time and time again.
280
00:25:06,131 --> 00:25:08,175
Streamlining our food system
281
00:25:09,301 --> 00:25:12,638
to make food cheaper and
more plentiful for all.
282
00:25:15,098 --> 00:25:19,265
And perhaps no ingredient
has thrived in this system
283
00:25:19,269 --> 00:25:20,562
as much as corn.
284
00:25:36,328 --> 00:25:39,744
Today, corn is no
longer just a plant.
285
00:25:39,748 --> 00:25:42,455
It's an all-encompassing
industry.
286
00:25:42,459 --> 00:25:46,463
No sector of society is
outside the reach of corn.
287
00:25:47,673 --> 00:25:50,463
In fact, the plant
is so powerful
288
00:25:50,467 --> 00:25:53,842
that if you want to be
president of the United States,
289
00:25:53,846 --> 00:25:54,884
you need to eat corn.
290
00:25:54,888 --> 00:25:56,594
They hit the ground running
291
00:25:56,598 --> 00:25:58,888
to do the job that
needs to be done.
292
00:25:58,892 --> 00:26:00,602
And it starts
right here in Iowa.
293
00:26:01,353 --> 00:26:02,350
Why?
294
00:26:02,354 --> 00:26:06,984
Because the state of Iowa is where the
American presidential election begins.
295
00:26:09,778 --> 00:26:12,944
{\an8}But the politics of corn
were forever changed
296
00:26:12,948 --> 00:26:15,655
{\an8}on December 8th, 1993,
297
00:26:15,659 --> 00:26:20,493
when Bill Clinton signed the
North American Free Trade Act,
298
00:26:20,497 --> 00:26:22,871
also known as NAFTA,
299
00:26:22,875 --> 00:26:28,376
allowing a free flow of products
between the US, Canada and Mexico.
300
00:26:28,380 --> 00:26:32,297
Now we must recognize that the only
way for a wealthy nation to grow richer
301
00:26:32,301 --> 00:26:33,756
is to export.
302
00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:37,931
To simply find new customers for
the products and services it makes.
303
00:26:40,184 --> 00:26:41,973
With that stroke of a pen,
304
00:26:41,977 --> 00:26:43,766
Clinton all but guaranteed
305
00:26:43,770 --> 00:26:47,520
American industrialized
corn's rise to dominance,
306
00:26:47,524 --> 00:26:49,860
both north and south
of its borders.
307
00:26:57,242 --> 00:27:03,540
{\an8}Landus, this year, will handle
roughly 250 million bushels of corn,
308
00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:09,671
which equates to 12 billion
600,000 pounds of grain.
309
00:27:14,176 --> 00:27:17,759
We'll service probably 30 to
50 farmers throughout the year.
310
00:27:17,763 --> 00:27:19,723
That's good, Al. That's good.
311
00:27:20,224 --> 00:27:23,060
It's a very small percentage
of the crop grown in Iowa.
312
00:28:08,313 --> 00:28:10,311
The passage of NAFTA
313
00:28:10,315 --> 00:28:13,819
had a dramatic effect on America's
relationship with Mexico.
314
00:28:17,906 --> 00:28:22,160
Practically overnight, trade between
these two countries exploded.
315
00:28:23,662 --> 00:28:25,285
Good evening.
316
00:28:25,289 --> 00:28:27,749
We have 110 units.
317
00:28:28,292 --> 00:28:31,211
US corn poured into Mexico.
318
00:28:32,629 --> 00:28:37,092
Mexican farmers struggled to keep
up with this new corn economy.
319
00:29:08,248 --> 00:29:11,919
Within a decade, a million
farmers were out of work.
320
00:29:23,180 --> 00:29:27,059
Today, 80% of the corn
consumed by Mexico
321
00:29:27,643 --> 00:29:29,686
is imported from the US.
322
00:29:33,607 --> 00:29:38,070
And a culture built on corn
has been fundamentally changed.
323
00:30:07,140 --> 00:30:12,813
As American corn enveloped most of
Mexico, waves of resistance took shape.
324
00:30:13,605 --> 00:30:15,399
Get out of the country!
325
00:30:16,149 --> 00:30:18,064
We want tortillas!
326
00:30:18,068 --> 00:30:20,066
We want corn!
327
00:30:20,070 --> 00:30:23,866
Multinational corporations,
get out of our country!
328
00:30:24,449 --> 00:30:27,740
People protested for the
legions of small farmers
329
00:30:27,744 --> 00:30:29,617
who lost their livelihoods...
330
00:30:29,621 --> 00:30:32,328
Get out of Latin
America, Monsanto!
331
00:30:32,332 --> 00:30:35,456
...for the threat to local
culture and traditions,
332
00:30:35,460 --> 00:30:37,375
and for the tremendous toll
333
00:30:37,379 --> 00:30:40,211
that large-scale monocrop
farming takes on the environment.
334
00:30:40,215 --> 00:30:44,011
Without corn, there
is no country!
335
00:30:44,887 --> 00:30:47,510
The barrage of
environmental information
336
00:30:47,514 --> 00:30:48,849
can be overwhelming.
337
00:30:49,558 --> 00:30:53,975
UN reports. Academic
studies. Newspaper headlines.
338
00:30:53,979 --> 00:30:55,689
Doom and gloom.
339
00:30:56,190 --> 00:30:57,941
I feel it myself often.
340
00:30:58,984 --> 00:31:02,775
But there's no denying anymore
that how we produce our food
341
00:31:02,779 --> 00:31:04,235
comes at a high cost
342
00:31:04,239 --> 00:31:08,406
to our landscape, to
our food producers,
343
00:31:08,410 --> 00:31:10,412
to the ingredients themselves.
344
00:31:11,121 --> 00:31:13,119
You can't help but wonder,
345
00:31:13,123 --> 00:31:15,083
"Is this the right way forward?"
346
00:31:26,178 --> 00:31:29,677
The seeds are the
heritage of our country
347
00:31:29,681 --> 00:31:30,891
and of the whole world.
348
00:31:31,892 --> 00:31:33,602
They are like blood.
349
00:31:34,520 --> 00:31:37,231
We care for our blood the same
way we care for our seeds.
350
00:31:38,106 --> 00:31:39,483
Because they are life.
351
00:31:40,609 --> 00:31:45,318
We produce everything
naturally, with no chemicals.
352
00:31:45,322 --> 00:31:49,656
This is the natural
color of this seed.
353
00:31:49,660 --> 00:31:51,870
Even the tortilla
will have that color.
354
00:31:53,580 --> 00:31:56,625
I like to plant this color
because it is in great demand.
355
00:32:00,295 --> 00:32:02,756
Everything is done by
hand. No machines at all.
356
00:32:06,343 --> 00:32:09,888
But the whole harvest
is about quality.
357
00:32:11,765 --> 00:32:13,600
Not quantity, but quality.
358
00:32:18,397 --> 00:32:20,732
I like to say that we're
rich, not in money,
359
00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:23,193
but in food.
360
00:32:26,572 --> 00:32:29,783
The way we grow food has
been moving in one direction.
361
00:32:30,409 --> 00:32:32,494
Bigger farms, fewer farmers.
362
00:32:33,328 --> 00:32:36,373
Seemingly less concern for
flavor and biodiversity.
363
00:32:38,750 --> 00:32:40,502
But what if there's
a different path?
364
00:32:42,379 --> 00:32:45,003
Emerging collectives
like Traspatio Maya
365
00:32:45,007 --> 00:32:49,174
have helped connect milpa farmers
with restaurants and buyers
366
00:32:49,178 --> 00:32:50,554
across the world.
367
00:32:56,185 --> 00:32:57,853
They're using modern techniques,
368
00:32:58,520 --> 00:33:01,853
from social media to better
distribution channels,
369
00:33:01,857 --> 00:33:05,235
to bring the best ingredients
to a wider population.
370
00:33:07,404 --> 00:33:10,407
There's something valuable to
be taken from this approach.
371
00:33:10,991 --> 00:33:16,371
One that fuses the wisdom of the
past with the best tools of today.
372
00:33:17,664 --> 00:33:20,205
What if small corn harnessed
373
00:33:20,209 --> 00:33:24,546
the technological powers and
political savviness of big corn?
374
00:33:25,756 --> 00:33:28,087
What if big corn learned
375
00:33:28,091 --> 00:33:33,138
from the ancient knowledge and
time-tested practices of small corn?
376
00:33:35,015 --> 00:33:37,643
This is more than
a romantic idea.
377
00:33:38,352 --> 00:33:41,146
It's a reality unfolding
across the food world.
378
00:33:41,647 --> 00:33:43,649
Brazilian coffee farmers.
379
00:33:44,733 --> 00:33:46,193
Indian rice growers.
380
00:33:47,444 --> 00:33:50,151
Natural wine producers
across Europe.
381
00:33:50,155 --> 00:33:52,950
There's definitely a new
movement taking place,
382
00:33:53,659 --> 00:33:57,913
one where a closer relationship
to nature is at the forefront.
383
00:34:04,503 --> 00:34:08,461
Practices like carbon
cropping and crop rotation
384
00:34:08,465 --> 00:34:11,677
can help farms produce
more with less.
385
00:34:14,263 --> 00:34:19,059
It's not just good stewardship,
good ethics or good marketing.
386
00:34:19,726 --> 00:34:21,436
It can be good business.
387
00:34:29,485 --> 00:34:32,489
{\an8}My dad, he'd always tell me
to take pride in what you do.
388
00:34:33,072 --> 00:34:35,822
Don't ever do anything,
you know, with half effort.
389
00:34:35,826 --> 00:34:38,575
I mean, he can be a real
stickler sometimes too, you know.
390
00:34:38,579 --> 00:34:39,951
But, I mean, in today's world,
391
00:34:39,955 --> 00:34:42,623
in this kind of operation we're
on, you know, you have to be.
392
00:34:43,417 --> 00:34:45,377
You know, there's
no room for playing.
393
00:34:46,378 --> 00:34:48,755
I mean, you either do
it right or you don't.
394
00:34:54,844 --> 00:34:58,553
Up here, we're very fortunate
enough to have rich, black soil.
395
00:34:58,557 --> 00:35:01,852
There's a lot of nutrients in it.
It's just good soil to grow crops.
396
00:35:03,103 --> 00:35:07,020
When I went to college, I took
an environmental science class.
397
00:35:07,024 --> 00:35:10,732
They talked about how if we
put a cover crop on the soil,
398
00:35:10,736 --> 00:35:14,277
it keeps all the nitrates out of
groundwater and it's good organic matter.
399
00:35:14,281 --> 00:35:17,701
There's just a whole bunch of
different aspects that it's good for.
400
00:35:19,620 --> 00:35:20,829
So we tried it one year...
401
00:35:22,998 --> 00:35:24,662
and it didn't hurt us.
402
00:35:24,666 --> 00:35:26,376
There wasn't a huge
yield difference.
403
00:35:27,169 --> 00:35:30,088
It's good for the soil, it's
less emissions in the earth.
404
00:35:31,381 --> 00:35:34,885
Overall, I think it's gonna be better
than what we thought it would be.
405
00:35:36,178 --> 00:35:38,263
Like, oh, yeah, that's...
that's pretty good.
406
00:35:46,313 --> 00:35:47,685
When I was younger, farming,
407
00:35:47,689 --> 00:35:50,188
I wasn't worried about
doing the cover crop thing,
408
00:35:50,192 --> 00:35:52,273
trying to help all
the environment out.
409
00:35:52,277 --> 00:35:53,779
That wasn't my number one.
410
00:35:54,655 --> 00:35:56,486
Now, I look at that a lot more.
411
00:35:56,490 --> 00:35:58,696
What is it, spring-loaded?
412
00:35:58,700 --> 00:36:02,704
Part of it's my age, but part of it's
just the way agriculture has went too.
413
00:36:03,705 --> 00:36:05,415
We all have to do
the right thing.
414
00:36:24,685 --> 00:36:28,476
Ancient Mayans believed that
the gods fashioned humans
415
00:36:28,480 --> 00:36:29,898
from kernels of corn.
416
00:36:35,279 --> 00:36:36,864
Thousands of years later,
417
00:36:38,031 --> 00:36:40,409
corn is still at the
center of life here.
418
00:36:44,621 --> 00:36:47,332
They say that the day
when corn disappears,
419
00:36:48,458 --> 00:36:50,669
people will also start to
disappear, little by little.
420
00:36:53,213 --> 00:36:56,300
The knowledge that we have, we
did not learn it all at once.
421
00:36:56,842 --> 00:37:00,512
It was given to us little by
little, step by step, year by year.
422
00:37:02,681 --> 00:37:05,142
If we can teach others,
423
00:37:05,767 --> 00:37:09,062
they'll go and teach others
how to do it as well.
424
00:37:10,939 --> 00:37:13,275
It's very important because
425
00:37:13,942 --> 00:37:16,486
nature is from God.
426
00:37:17,487 --> 00:37:20,115
We must not lose our culture.
427
00:37:53,690 --> 00:37:57,361
That first bite here in southern
Mexico nearly 20 years ago
428
00:37:57,945 --> 00:37:59,446
wasn't just a great meal.
429
00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:04,159
It was a lesson in what
food at its best can be.
430
00:38:08,622 --> 00:38:11,371
A taste of the world around us
431
00:38:11,375 --> 00:38:14,545
and a window into the
lives of those who made it.
432
00:38:18,006 --> 00:38:19,466
A freshly slaughtered pig
433
00:38:20,342 --> 00:38:23,804
unearthed after hours of
slow cooking over hot coals.
434
00:38:25,264 --> 00:38:29,430
Marinated with achiote
seeds and sour oranges
435
00:38:29,434 --> 00:38:31,562
plucked from the front yard.
436
00:38:32,813 --> 00:38:36,441
Served on a warm tortilla made
with corn from the family's milpa.
437
00:38:39,987 --> 00:38:42,447
A squeeze of lime.
A hint of chili.
438
00:38:43,198 --> 00:38:44,992
A slice of marinated onion.
439
00:38:47,452 --> 00:38:51,164
Could this be as close to
a perfect bite as anything?
440
00:38:56,628 --> 00:38:58,672
Maybe you've had a
moment like this.
441
00:38:59,256 --> 00:39:04,215
One that tastes like the best
meal on earth at that second
442
00:39:04,219 --> 00:39:06,221
because it can only
happen right there.
443
00:39:10,142 --> 00:39:12,227
Not every meal is a revelation,
444
00:39:13,061 --> 00:39:15,643
but every bite can
be a small vote
445
00:39:15,647 --> 00:39:18,025
for the kind of world
that we want to live in.
446
00:39:20,527 --> 00:39:22,529
Change is inevitable...
447
00:39:24,698 --> 00:39:27,071
but sometimes, when
looking at food,
448
00:39:27,075 --> 00:39:29,870
the best innovations
have already happened.
449
00:39:33,207 --> 00:39:36,376
Somewhere between the
cornfields seen from space
450
00:39:37,794 --> 00:39:41,089
and the milpas hidden
to the untrained eye
451
00:39:41,882 --> 00:39:47,262
is a version of corn that suggests a
more delicious and promising future.
452
00:39:48,889 --> 00:39:52,935
What if that future was
the best of both worlds?
453
00:39:54,770 --> 00:39:58,190
The monoculture and the milpa.
39846
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