American Notes THE FARM BELT

Last summer's drought has produced not only a stunted harvest but also a toxic side effect: a bumper crop of aflatoxin, a fungus-based, cancer-causing corn contaminant. It has turned up in livestock feed corn (although not the sweet corn so dear to the American palate) in nine major corn-producing states. The Illinois Department of Agriculture says a third of the crop samples tested show aflatoxin above permissible levels. But by blending the current crop with grain from uncontaminated past harvests, the corn can be used. Moreover, the Food and Drug Administration has cleared the way for the use of even more contaminated grain (for most farm animals other than dairy cows) by raising the allowable level of aflatoxin from 20 to 100 parts per billion.

The contamination reduces what is expected to be the smallest per-acre corn harvest since 1970. The U.S. corn crop is just 4.55 billion bushels, down 36% from last year.