Growing ‘Continuous Corn’ Drives Emissions of a Powerful Greenhouse Gas. It Doesn’t Have To.

Year after year, the same 15 million acres across Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin are planted with corn.

Each August, the fibrous green leaves in those fields reach eye level. And each November, the dusty stalks are razed to stumps.

“Continuous corn,” as the growing strategy is called, allows farmers to profit from a steady demand for corn from the ethanol and livestock industries. The approach is also a major source of a potent and little-discussed greenhouse gas: nitrous oxide.

Agricultural nitrous oxide makes up only 6 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, but it traps heat in the atmosphere over 300 times as effectively as carbon dioxide and persists in the atmosphere for 120 years, compared to methane’s 8 to 12 years.

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