Abstract
Companion film to 'King Corn' about the ecological consequences of industrial agriculture. Following up on their Peabody Award-winning documentary 'King Corn', Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis have returned to Iowa with a new mission: to investigate the environmental impact their acre of corn has had on the people and places downstream.
In a journey that spans from the heartland to the Gulf of Mexico, Ian and Curt trade their combine for a canoe, and set out to see the big world their little acre of corn has touched. On their trip, flashbacks to the pesticides they sprayed, the fertilizers they injected, and the soil they plowed now lead to new questions, explored by new experts in new places. Half of Iowa's topsoil, they learn, has been washed out to sea. Fertilizer runoff has spawned a hypoxic 'dead zone' in the Gulf. And back at their acre, the herbicides they used are blamed for a cancer cluster that reaches all too close to home.
A lively investigation and a worthy follow-up, 'Big River' grows to ask is industrial agriculture worth its hidden costs?
In a journey that spans from the heartland to the Gulf of Mexico, Ian and Curt trade their combine for a canoe, and set out to see the big world their little acre of corn has touched. On their trip, flashbacks to the pesticides they sprayed, the fertilizers they injected, and the soil they plowed now lead to new questions, explored by new experts in new places. Half of Iowa's topsoil, they learn, has been washed out to sea. Fertilizer runoff has spawned a hypoxic 'dead zone' in the Gulf. And back at their acre, the herbicides they used are blamed for a cancer cluster that reaches all too close to home.
A lively investigation and a worthy follow-up, 'Big River' grows to ask is industrial agriculture worth its hidden costs?
Subject
Corn industry -- United States, Corn products industry -- United States, Corn products industry -- Environmental aspects, Corn -- Processing -- United States, Corn as food -- Health aspects, Agriculture -- Iowa, Corn as feed -- United States, Herbicides -- Environmental aspects, Agricultural pollution -- United States, Groundwater -- Effect of chemicals on, Groundwater -- Pollution -- United States, Mexico, Gulf of -- Effect of water pollution on, Fertilizers -- Environmental aspects
Contributors
Ellis, Curt (director), Ellis, Curt (writer), Ellis, Curt (producer), Cheney, Ian (performer), Miller, Jeffrey K. (editor), Guardado, Sandra (editor), Cheney, Ian (editor), Burga, Martin (editor), Woolf, Aaron (producer), Ellis, Curt (performer), Cullman, Sam (videographer), Ramsey, Bo (composer), Miller, Jeffrey K (writer), Mosaic Films, Inc. (producer), Independent Television Service (ITVS) (producer), Corporation for Public Broadcasting (contributor), Wicked Delicate Films (producer), WoWz (Musical group) (composer)
Duration
00:26:52 (HH:MM:SS)
Language:
English
Target or Intended Audience
adult/continuing education, higher education, high school (grades 10-12), college
Copyright Holder
| Name | Bullfrog Films (Firm) |
| Role | distributor |
| Telephone | 800-543-3764 |
| Address | Bullfrog Films, PO Box 149Oley, PA 19547 |
| [email protected] |
Copyright Date
2009-01-01
Rights Declaration:
This video is protected by copyright. You are free to view it but not download or remix it. Please contact the licensing institution for further information about how you may use this video.
Persistent/Share URL
https://54098.surd9.group/show.php?pid=njcore:29035
Basic LTI parameter
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PID
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