Wisconsin Ag Connection - State Corn Growers: Ethanol is Not Causing Food Price Hikes

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State Corn Growers: Ethanol is Not Causing Food Price Hikes
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 04/21/2008

Wisconsin corn growers are being urged to respond immediately to an article in Sunday's Wisconsin State Journal and register support for farming and biofuels. According to Randy Woodruff, president of the Wisconsin Corn Growers Association, ethanol is part of this country's solution to high food and fuel prices--not the problem.

"The ongoing food versus fuel debate would be funny if it weren't so dire for farmers and consumers alike," Woodruff says. "Fuel has more impact on retail food prices than the price of any raw commodity and homegrown ethanol now replaces five percent of our nation's imported oil supply. This is helping our balance of trade by saving billions of dollars. It also generates more than 230,000 U.S. jobs and about $8 billion in tax revenue annually."

Wisconsin farmers, along with farmers across the nation, are working overtime to help feed the world's hungry. Last year, American farmers planted 19 percent more corn acres than the previous year. This crop yielded a 1.4 billion bushel corn surplus, while also supporting record corn exports and increased domestic ethanol production. As the new crop year begins, American corn growers expect to grow a 12.3 billion bushel crop on slightly fewer acres--putting them on track to raise the second-highest corn crop ever.

Woodruff says whether planting corn or soybeans, a farmer produces about the same amount of food per acre considering that fifty bushel per acre of soybeans yield about the same amount of protein and oil as 150 bushel per acre corn. The difference is that the corn kernel has two-thirds starch which also can be converted into ethanol. In addition, the ethanol process produces livestock feed--also called distillers' grains that retain all the proteins, minerals and vitamins of corn, but in a more condensed form.

"The decision to plant corn, soybeans, wheat, or any other crop is different for every farmer," Woodruff says. "But the decision to pursue biofuels has only one right answer. Making ethanol the scapegoat may well derail a product that is good for our economy, our environment and helps lessen our demand on foreign oil."

To register in on the question: "Is overplanting of ethanol crops responsible for soaring food prices" send a message of 200 words or less to wsjeditor@madison.com or fax 608-252-6119 by Wednesday. Make sure to include your name, address, phone number and other contact information. The original pro and con articles on this issue are posted online at http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/forum/282266.

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