Crucial mutant corn stocks threatened under 2026 USDA budget

A greenish corn cob with irregularly shaped kernels is held out towards the viewer by an ARS employee. In the background are multi-colored dried corn cobs.

When most growers plant corn, they expect perfect, uniform rows and plump and pearly yellow kernels lining the cob. But a group of USDA Agricultural Research Service scientists intentionally plant the misfits — some gnarled and speckled, others sprouting tassels where ears should be — to perpetuate the wide array of genetic variation in the Midwest’s most economically important crop. 

The Maize