Staple Crop Production in the US Midwest Needs Innovation...

... So says the article Sustainability and innovation in staple crop production in the US Midwest in the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability. Definitely worth the read if journal articles are your thing. The last part of the abstract states:

Relative to other food secure and exporting countries (e.g. Western Europe), the US agroecosystem is not exceptional in yields or conservative on environmental impact. This has not been a trade-off for sustainability, as annual fluctuations in maize yield alone dwarf the loss of caloric energy from extreme historic blights. We suggest strategies for innovation that are responsive to more stakeholders and build resilience into industrialized staple crop production.