I recently listened to an intriguing NPR interview with Michael Pollen, author of The Ominvore's Dilemma. In addition to tracing the path of four different meals from the ground to the table, he spent a lot of time talking about corn. With ethanol production increasing and farmers cashing in, corn farms have taken over the Mid-West. As the number of farms increase, as does the amount of fertilizer run off traveling down the Mississippi into the Gulf of Mexico. The nitrogen rich fertilizer robs the water of oxygen as it moves through the food chain and causes what is known as the "Dead Zone;" an area believed to be as large as New Jersey. It is called the "Dead Zone" because crabs, shrimp, and fish cannot survive without oxygen. Furthermore, Louisiana fishermen cannot survive without crabs, shrimp, and fish.

A new article states that the Gulf Coast Dead Zone isn't as large as predicted, making it only the world's third largest. In that case, Iowa, continue doing what you're doing. After all, who cares about a few fishermen in Grand Isle?