To meet the demand for ethanol, farmers have planted 14-million acres more in corn this year. That will mean much more nitrogen fertilizer in the corn belt. More nitrogen will be washed from farm fields by rain and into the vast Mississippi River tributary system (incl. the Missouri, Ohio and their tributaries). This year's Gulf Dead Zone is the largest it's ever been and the problem is expected to get worse.
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Piece Description
To meet the demand for ethanol, farmers have planted 14-million acres more in corn this year. That will mean much more nitrogen fertilizer in the corn belt. More nitrogen will be washed from farm fields by rain and into the vast Mississippi River tributary system (incl. the Missouri, Ohio and their tributaries). This year's Gulf Dead Zone is the largest it's ever been and the problem is expected to get worse.
Broadcast History
New
Transcript
Scientists are predicting the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico will reach its largest size ever this summer. Fish and shrimp can't survive in the dead zone. It's believed to be mainly caused by fertilizer washed from farm fields across the nation. Rebecca Williams reports some scientists say demand for ethanol made from corn could make the dead zone even bigger:
(Sound of tractor raking hay)
"It's the perfect Iowa day, you know?"
Laura Krouse is tearing apart a bale of hay to mulch her tomatoes. She's a thousand miles from the Gulf of Mexico. But she points out, what happens on farms here ends up affecting life way down South:
"This watershed I live in drains 25% of Iowa. And we're one of the richest farming states in the nation - of course we have something to do with it."
By "it," Krouse means the dead zone. All or parts of 31 farm states drain into the Mississippi River,...
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Timing and Cues
Host intro: Scientists are predicting the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico will reach its largest size ever this summer. Fish and shrimp can't survive in the Dead Zone. It's believed to be mainly caused by fertilizer washed from farm fields across the nation. Rebecca Williams reports some scientists say demand for ethanol made from corn could make the Dead Zone even bigger.
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