Americans Have Planted So Much Corn That It's Changing the Weather

Last edited Fri Dec 27, 2019, 11:48 AM - Edit history (2)

I didn't notice until after I posted, that this article was from 2018 - just that it involved Nebraska. I got it from one of those emails that WIRED sends with links to their stories.

https://www.wired.com/story/corn-fields-are-making-it-rain-more/
This story originally appeared on Atlas Obscura and is part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/corn-belt-weather

Americans Have Planted So Much Corn That It's Changing the Weather

The Corn Belt is making it rain.

BY ERIC J. WALLACE
DECEMBER 3, 2018

CORN FARMERS IN EASTERN NEBRASKA have long claimed weather patterns are changing, but in an unexpected way.

“It’s something I’ve talked about with my dad and grandad many times,” says fifth-generation corn farmer Brandon Hunnicutt. Along with his father and brother, the 45-year-old lives in the 400-person village of Giltner and grows about 2,000 acres of corn each year. From above, the area looks like a blip of homes surrounded by an expansive grid of circular fields. Though Brandon’s grandfather is retired, he takes an active interest in the business. “Contrary to what you’d think should be happening, both him and my dad swear up and down [that] droughts used to come more often and be a lot worse,” says Hunnicutt. “Considering it’s been 30 years since we had a really bad one, I’ve started kind of taking them at their word.”