By Maggie Ginsberg-Schutz
Madison Magazine
Special To Channel 3000

Thanks to the great ethanol debate, the unassuming kernel of Americana is suddenly on everyone's mind. Though most experts now agree that corn is likely not the answer to our looming energy crisis, they say it's high time one of the most variable, widely used crops in the world got some well-deserved attention.

Corn is one sexy beast.

From her life-sized, open-armed, come-hither stance, to her hairlike silks beckoning the tassel's pollen, we can't seem to get enough of this versatile plant. For thousands of years she's fed the world's masses, animal and human alike, before we started using her to make alcohol, to sweeten our soft drinks, to process our foods. Not content to just nibble on her, we've exploited every last fiber of her kernels, mining her molecules for our cosmetics, our clothing, the pills we pop--even this glossy magazine paper. Now we've got the nerve to demand that she solve our energy dependence issues. Are we finally asking too much?

If corn is a goddess, then University of Wisconsin--Madison professor Bill Tracy is her worshipper. His office walls are papered with posters and photographs of corn, his bookshelves littered with corn mementos and other paraphernalia. There's at least one corncob sitting on his desk.

"I think most people can identify with corn because it's people-sized," says Tracy. "It's about our size and shape … Invariably, if you came out to my cornfield, I would take you around and literally introduce you to individual plants."

In fact, Tracy is often seen walking through his fields taking a mental inventory, checking for new developments, and touching each leaf to gauge its temperature.

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