Corn Capital. How Corn Shaped the Landscape, Industry, and Culture of Olivia, MN. Inauguraldissertation zur Erlangung des Doktorgrades der Philosophie an der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München vorgelegt von Ann-Katrin Liepold, M.A. aus Nürnberg 2017 Erstgutachter: Prof. Dr. Christof Mauch Zweitgutachter: Prof. Dr. Uwe Lübken Datum der mündlichen Prüfung: 24.07.17 Abstract Olivia, MN, is a town of 2,500 inhabitants in the Northern Corn Belt, known as the “Corn Capital of the World.” The author provides an eco-biography of Olivia, MN by showing how corn shaped the landscape, industry, and culture of the “Corn Capital.” Olivia serves both a case study location to document the changes in Midwestern agriculture, as well as a unique global corn research and development hub and center for corn celebrations. Both Native Americans and European settlers used corn to actively shape the landscape of the area, turning prairie and marshlands into farmland. Olivia’s economy was and is also shaped by corn as the town has become one of the key research and production sites of seed corn, therefore tying it intimately into the global agro-business network. This dissertation traces the transformation of landscape around Olivia, the history of the industrialization and globalization of the seed industry, the environmental impacts caused through the creation of the Corn Belt, as well as the ways in which corn influenced local celebrations. Table of Contents List of Abbreviations iv Acknowledgements v Introduction: Get Back to the Country 1 1. Corn as an Agent 4 2. Methodological Approach 6 3. Sources and Current State of Research 8 4. Structure of Project 12 I. Transforming the Land: How Corn Broke the Prairie 15 1. Impacts of the Ice Age 17 2. US Original Land Survey 19 3. Native American Corn Farming and the US-Dakota War of 23 1862 4. Bringing the Plow to the Prairie: European Settlement in 30 Renville County 5. Fields of Opportunity? The Role of the Homestead Act of 34 1862 6. Down By the River: Draining the Prairie 38 7. Laying New Tracks: How the Railroad Helped Shape 44 Olivia’s Agriculture 8. History of the Corn Belt 47 9. What’s the Value of Nature? 51 10. Conclusion 56 i II. Globalizing Corn: Transformations in Olivia’s Corn Seed 60 Industry 1. The Science of Corn Breeding and the Emergence of the 62 Seed Industry 2. Problems with Early Hybrid Corn 72 3. Homegrown: History of Seed Companies in Olivia 80 4.1.The Human Factor: Employees of Seed Companies 89 4.2.The 1978 Plane Crash 98 5. Spanning the Globe: How Corn Research Became an 100 International Affair 6.1.Shaking Up Business Structures: Mergers and Acquisitions 104 in the Corn Seed Industry 6.2.Global Mergers 108 7. Good Cob, Bad Cob? Genetic Modification and Public 113 Reactions 8. Olivia as Nature’s Village 118 9. Conclusion 120 III. Celebrating Corn: From Husking Bees to Corn Capital 125 Days 1. Dancing for a Good Harvest: The Native American Green 128 Corn Festival 2. Corn Husking Contests 130 3. Because Size Matters: From Corn Shows to Yield Tests 139 4. Cornland, USA 142 ii 5. Corn Capital Days 149 6. Conflicts of Interest? 155 7. Everyday Celebrations of Corn 157 8. Not Every Seed Sprouts: The Failed Minnesota Center for 159 Agricultural Innovation 9. Frenemies: How Constantine Challenged Olivia for the 162 Title of “Corn Capital” 10. When It Gets Corny: Corn as an Icon for the Midwest in 164 Popular Culture 11. Conclusion and Outlook 170 Conclusion: Journey Through the Past 174 Appendix 181 Bibliography Primary Sources 188 Secondary Sources 192 iii List of Abbreviations 3MG 3rd Millennium Genetics CCFE Coop County Farmers Elevator FAST Functional Analysis System for Traits GLO General Land Office GM Genetically Modified GMO Genetically Modified Organism HT Herbicide Tolerant IA Iowa IL Illinois IN Indiana IR Insect Resistant ISF International Seed Federation MAS Marker-Assisted Selection MI Michigan MN Minnesota MTSA Monsanto Technology Stewardship Agreement NB Nebraska OPV Open Pollination Variety PPA Plant Patent Act PVPA Plant Variety Protection Act R&D Research and Development RBA Rauenhorst, Bellows & Associates U of M University of Minnesota USDA United States Department of Agriculture WWII Second World War iv Acknowledgements I would like to thank my advisors, Christof Mauch and Uwe Lübken, for supporting this project and guiding me during the research and writing process. This project could not have been realized without the various people in Olivia, MN, who were willing to share their time and knowledge. Nicole Elzenga, director of the Renville County Historical Society, not only supported my research on site but helped me by scanning and sending items my way when I was back in Germany—a kind service way beyond her regular tasks. Equally, Allison Girres, head librarian of the Olivia public library, not only helped me to build my first connections in Olivia, she also opened up her house more than once when I was in town. Dick Hagen shared his knowledge and introduced me to various Olivians who in turn shared their stories with me. Special thanks to Ed Baumgartner, John Baumgartner, Raechel Baumgartner, Marvin Boerboom, Mary Mack, Tom Mack, Steve O’Neill, Jeffrey Posch, and Mauricio Urrutia for letting me conduct oral interviews with them. Sue Hilgert, mayor of Olivia, invited me to join planning meetings and even awarded me the key to the city of Olivia—thank you! I am grateful to the GHI Washington, DC, as they offered financial support for my research in 2015, during my time spent at the University of Kansas. The Environmental History Department at KU offered excellent research possibilities and due to everyone’s welcoming manner it awakened the Jayhawk in me. Special thanks to Ed Russell, Sara Gregg, Ximena Sevilla, and Adam Sundberg. Lois Hendrickson, Ryan Mattke, and Erin George helped me navigate my way through the libraries and archives of the University of Minnesota. The entire RCC gang—from staff members and doctoral students to fellows— gave me the best academic home anyone could ask for over the last couple of the years. I would also like to thank my brother Tim, my parents Evi and Tom, my Oma Lina, and my friends for accompanying me throughout these years and reminding me that the most important things in life usually happen outside of academia. v Introduction: Get Back to the Country The first time I visited Olivia, MN, was in 2014. Heading west on Highway 212 from the Twin Cities in my rental car, I wondered what would await in me in the “Corn Capital of the World.” I was headed there in the last week of July—just in time for the first sweet corn to be ripe and to participate in the annual Corn Capital Days. On my drive from the Twin Cities to Olivia I passed by many cornfields. But the view of sheer endless cornfields on both sides of the highway, interrupted only by the also frequently seen soybean fields and the occasional farm house, is a common sight in large parts of the Midwest. So I wondered what exactly made Olivia “the Corn Capital of the World”—instead of other towns located in the Corn Belt. Olivia, MN, according to the 2010 census, is a city of 2,484 residents,1 located less than 100 miles west of Minneapolis. It was first platted2 in 1878 and officially incorporated in 1881. Like most of Minnesota, Olivia was settled in the late nineteenth century. In 1850 the whole territory of Minnesota had a population of only about 6,000 people.3 By 1880 it had reached 780,000. In those 30 years, 1 US Census Bureau, “Minnesota: 2010: Summary Population and Housing Characteristics” (Washington, DC, 2012), 56. 2 Referring to its first mentioning on a plat made of Renville County. 3 This number does not include Native Americans. 1 immigrants from Europe and the eastern United States had poured into Minnesota.4 Olivia is the largest city of Renville County and serves as its county seat. Through the Twin Cities & Western railroad line, it is tied into the Midwestern railroad network, connecting it with Minneapolis and South Dakota. The US Highway 212 and the US Highway 71 cross in Olivia and the city is home to a small, regional airport, mostly used by planes that spray crops. On first glance, Olivia looks similar to other small towns in the Midwest: the downtown area is a small conglomeration of shops, restaurants, and coffee shops, nestled around the only intersection in the town with a traffic light. Other than that, one can find a handful of small parks, a public library, a high school, a dive bar, a short nine- hole golf course, and three gas stations Olivia. However, Olivia’s role in the global corn industry is what makes the town deserving of a closer observation. In 2004, a resolution by the Minnesota Senate officially designated Olivia the “Corn Capital of the World,” making the previously self-proclaimed title official through a piece of legislation. Olivia and Renville County are part of the so-called Corn Belt, one of the most productive agricultural regions of the world. In 2016, American farmers planted 94 million acres of corn and generated a corn harvest with a $51.5 billion crop value.5 Corn is the number one cash crop in the United States, grown in all 50 states—something that holds true for very few other agricultural products. This shows both the high adaptability of corn varieties to different climatic zones and the high economic potential it has as a cash crop, which makes corn very 4 Catherine Watson et al., eds., “Minnesota: Still a New Land,” special issue, Minneapolis Tribune (1976): 9.
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