The other part of the country it would be good for would be south and west of the corn belt where either it's too dry, or the soil too thin, for corn. Some of that territory IS growing corn, with irrigation, but that operation is sucking the Ogallala aquifer dry.
Your right, BUT that doesnt HAVE to be the case. Im working on it now with great success and likely to only get better.... but you can build soil anywhere. Corn actually has a wide range of possibilities especially if you tap into some of the wilder relatives. But even ignoring those there is a good range. Including corns that are extremely drought hardy, and also some that are very fast producing.
My point being is that we are facing long term issues, and need long term answers. We can build soil, I can lay out hordes of avenues for this. yes it takes time if you dont have outside inputs, but it can be done better then most realize. couple that with understanding your area, and breeding within those ranges, and there are hordes of avenues of production.
I have no doubt I will have a corn growing only on water stored in the soil from winter within a few years. Selected out of various desert corns, grown on soil I built myself to highlight all possible variables as best as possible. Further it will be bred so that is is a heavy tassler, and as the hopi have shown (and science later proved) when there is good water the large number of tassles will all produce ears. when water is short, the tassles which are additional stalks will not take much of anything from the main stalk and in fact send there sugars to the main stalk for it to finish down which corn can be very efficient at if it needs to be.
In the same year as an early corn, if we had a late spring rain as we sometimes do, I could add some teparies, all with time to finish off with perhaps my rotated in wild greens mix (various wild greens Ive got dozens working on naturalizing and seeing what tastes best in what applications) ...planted with the monsoon season in late summer. (many not all like being planted that way)
so theres no reason we cannot have serviceable corn crops here. a similar project for warmer desert regions could focus on fast corns for prepped sites making use of monsoons before it gets to cold or the water is gone..... some corns have roots a few feet deep, and prepped sites could take advantage of this with some work. the type of work you only need to do once. Its the type of generational answer we NEED in this world.
Another project I have should make lentils and peas reliable here as well. Along with hordes of other things most wouldnt think this area could do..... easily a full ranged diet with a good number of choices. Along with being able to support animals multiples better then most here currently do.
My point being is that we dont HAVE to limit ourselves within what we currently feel are the confines of a given area or crop. we do indeed have the knowledge to take things up many notches, all a bit different for each area depending ont he variables of course. through using what amounts to terraforming, along with advanced soil building methods we can greatly alter many variables to the point we can sustainably provide much more from a given area then is currently viewed as feasible specifically in the harsher areas. Projects the world over have shown this with various things, and if you delve into the topic its easy to find hordes of other likely niches.
THESE are the types of answers we need to our current issues. Long term answers, that account for more variables. Ive got little doubt such concepts WILL be the norm at some point, simply because the current paradigm is set to fail, and what Im talking about is known enough that it will rise out of its semi obscurity in time. the bad thing is though it would be best if people got the best germplasm for these things now, while its still possible and that many involved in such projects dont seem to realize the power of breeding..
You can still greatly alter outcomes, by knowing how to build soil and the like, but breeding makes all the difference in the world.
