Corn in my Coffee Creamer?

My first associations with corn and soybeans are the fields my Granddad rented out near his farmhouse in Michigan.  Every summer when I went to visit my Grandparents we would drive past beautiful fields of corn and soybeans.  It was a little disappointing when I first learned about the excess amounts of corn and soybeans our country produces.  If you read the book Fat Land, you begin go learn about why things like high fructose corn syrup first were developed - simply put, because our country had so much corn we didn't know what to do with it all.  If you start to read labels on food you find corn syrup and soybean oil in everything.  Case in point, this weekend, I was on a plane and asked for some cream with my hot tea.  While hoping for milk or half and half, I was given the lovely packets of creamer, which in my opinion are disgusting.  I looked at the back to see just what went into the creamer.  The first two ingredients were corn syrup and partially hydrogenated soybean oil.  Isn't that disturbing?  How does a milk based product get turned into corn and soybeans?

Next year, Congress will be debating the Farm Bill.  Issues like subsidies will be hot topics.  If you'd like to read more about some of the issues that may come up in the debates, the Washington Post has some great information as it examined the issues surrounding agricultural subsidies.