Richard Mertens

Midwest drought: how engineered corn saved some farmers from disaster

Sept. 26, 2012

Estimates suggest that drought-resistant corn might have diminished potential crop losses by one-quarter this year — a development with major implications for a hotter, more crowded world.

As drought withers US corn crop, ethanol industry feels the squeeze

By Richard Mertens

Aug. 10, 2012

As corn prices soar amid deepening drought, ethanol plants watch their margins evaporate. The industry is working at half-capacity, and some plants have closed. The slowdown is a blow to some rural areas.