In your essay, make sure you address the following:

1. Describe the significance of the corn industry to the US and why fighting corn pests is important to the agriculture industry. Provide statistics and/or figures as appropriate.

2. Summarize the “evolutionary battle” between the Western corn rootworm and scientists trying to control it.

3. What are some Genetic modifications that scientists have made to the corn to fight the root worm? What are their limitations?

4. Describe the latest RNAi technology being used against the rootworm. Is it effective? Are there any concerns about this?

5. How is European farming different than American farming? Are there lessons to be learned from these differences? If you were a farmer with 10,000 acres of land in Iowa, how would you choose to farm it to be profitable and provide the world with abundant nutrition?