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By: Rosa Capacola
Demand for Ethanol Stimulates Food Vs. Fuel Debate Among US Farmers
According to the US Department of Agriculture, farmers are anxious to cash in on the demand for ethanol. So much so, that soy and cotton will be taking a back seat to corn-growing to the tune of 13.5 billion bushels.
The food vs. fuel debate among growers has intensified because the US Government has legislated that ethanol be used as a “blender with conventional petrol,” causing a surge in demand for the product.
It is expected that Brazilian and Argentine growers will produce more soy to off-set the void created by US farmers. The trade-off is the US will pay more for animal feed made from imported soy.
Over the last three years, I have noticed a rise in the price of corn at my local roadside market during harvest season. In 2004, ears of sweet corn were priced at $2.50 a dozen; in 2005 the price went up to $3.00; last summer corn hit an all-time high of $3.75 a dozen. This year, I’m ordering corn seeds out of the Burpee Seed catalog, till in some cow dung, grow it myself, and have it for 50 cents a dozen, with a little left over for moonshine.
Photo Credt: judestoryteller WebShots
Farmers' choice of crop is driven by price. The doubling in the corn price over the past year, as well as increasing yields per acre for corn, means the cash return per acre surpasses that for other crops. This trend has been stimulated by the surge in ethanol demand.
Based on the USDA corn yield forecasts, potential US corn production could be well over 13.5bn bushels – a record for the world's largest corn producer. The bigger-than-expected rise in forecast corn acreages, which were 4.5m acres above USDA estimates, dragged corn futures prices down by their maximum allowable amount on the Chicago Board of Trade on Friday.
(msnbc.msn)
Read More: msnbc.msn Posted: Mar 31, 07
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Comments:
 We need enough Corn for:
Cattle Feed, Food & Fuel.
Now lets grow more Corn.
Anything to produce Ethanol, any other plant source.
Or estd E85 Fields for Corn only growing.
Or maybe 1 Farm in 10 grows for pure Fuel use only?
Need my corn on the cob & tortillas.By: rocketranger on Oct 28, 07 | 0 Trends | 1928 Comments |
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