Tagged: corn

Regional news coverage from the KBIA newsroom, including:

• A lawsuit between southeast Missouri farmers and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• A battery acid leak affecting Columbia Police Department and Joint Operations
• Missouri Gaming Commission new rule regarding casino exclusion list
• More corn planted this year since end of Great Depression
• State Auditor Schweich releases report about misuse of federal funds

Farmers intend to plant 96 million acres of corn this year, according to a new study by the National Agricultural Statistic Service, or NASS. That’s a 4 percent increase over last year, and the most land dedicated to corn since 1937. Here are the factors for this year's record amount of corn production.

Insect scientists say biotech corn is losing its ability to fend off a major insect pest known as the corn rootworm.  The scientists say continued widespread use of genetically-modified corn will only make the problem worse.

Regional news coverage from the KBIA News room, including:

• Rick Santorum, victorious in Kansas, makes a stop in Missouri.
• MU researchers develop new form of electric car battery.
• Scientists worry about corn protection after learning a pesticide is failing to fend off the corn rootworm.

Corn has been the engine behind the ethanol industry for years, and that food vs. fuel debate doesn't look to end anytime soon.  But as researchers work to unlock the biofuels potential in crop residue and other biomass, a refinery is being built in Kansas may help take the industry to another level.