Each year, farmers produce more than a billion metric tons of corn. As technology advances, researchers are looking at how that could change with nuclear contamination.
Researchers at Penn State University have studied how a nuclear war scenario would play out at nearly 40,000 locations around the world. Using their agro-ecosystem, they found that if five tons of soot were to drop, it would lower corn production by seven percent. On a larger scale, with 165 tons of soot, that number jumps to an 80 percent drop in corn yields.
Researchers say they hope this scenario never happens, but they warn it is always best to prepare for catastrophic events.
Related Stories
A fast-moving series of trade signals from the White House and key partners is resetting the near-term outlook for U.S. agriculture.
Margin Protection and the new MCO add county-level margin tools — with earlier price discovery, input cost triggers, and high subsidy rates — to complement on-farm risk plans for 2026.
Set targets and use forwards, futures, or options to manage downside while preserving room for rallies.
Expanding bioethanol use strengthens rural economies, supports farm markets, and positions U.S. agriculture at the center of global low-carbon trade.
Corn and wheat inspections outpaced last year, but soybean movement remains seasonally active yet behind, keeping basis and freight dynamics in focus by corridor.
In the meantime, Senate Majority Leader John Thune is asking that farmers be allowed to use marketing assistance loans to help stay afloat.
Bioethanol is becoming a global standard. For growers, that boom comes as drops in Mississippi River levels and in soybean demand occur in tandem, leaving barge space for corn and wheat.
The government shutdown has touched nearly every sector of the ag industry since it began, and now impacts are spilling over into dairy.
Global trade teams and summit discussions highlight expanding opportunities for U.S. corn and ethanol exports as nations explore renewable fuel options and reduced-carbon energy pathways.
