Since the creation of bio-fuels such as Biodiesel and Ethanol, there has been much controversy. Farmers have been thrown under the bus by being forced to pay extremely high prices for feed to produce their livestock. Ethanol and Biodiesel are made from food crops such as corn, soybeans, and other crops that are also use for human and livestock consumption. Being from a farming background I have a great knowledge of what livestock producers are going through. The production of biofuels is increasing at a very rapid rate. 355 million metric tons of corn are being used to produce Ethanol in the United States alone. This is nearly one third of the corn production. In the next five years the amount of corn used is projected to be nearly 50 percent. Biodiesel is growing almost as rapidly in Europe. With the production of biofuels increasing at this incredible rate the prices of grains are also rising to rates that are unaffordable to smaller farmers. Many lobbyists, including the National Pork Producers Council, the National Beef Cattlemen’s Association, and many others are pushing very hard to try and get the 45 cent “blender’s tax” dropped. If the credit continues to be paid then more and more crop producers will begin selling their crops to create biofuels instead of selling them to livestock producers because they will most likely be able to receive more profits for their products.
With the American population continually growing there is a great stain placed on crop and livestock producers to “feed America.” With more and more people selling their crops to Ethanol producers an even greater strain is placed on the rest of the farming sector to make up for the feed shortage. If the grain prices continue to increase then the poorer farmers are going to keep getting out of production because it will be uneconomical for them. Also, production short falls due to climate changes and weather patterns need to be taken into effect. If there is production shortfall and most of the corps are being used for biofuel production then the grain prices will rise once more.
The more biofuels continue to be pushed for by Obama and other government organizations then livestock production is going to continue to decrease. This decrease is going to be devastating to the economy because the prices of meats such as beef, pork, and poultry are going to sky rocket. Although the productions of biofuels are trying to reach the goal of weaning the world off of the use of petroleum based products, they are also causing a great controversy in the Agricultural Sector. America needs to worry more about feeding its population instead of using the majority of its agricultural resources for fuels. There are many other resources that we as a human race have the ability to make fuels out of… besides grains.
by: Corbin Allen
Basically, the economy is just going to continue to go under. I do not come from a farmer background or anything but I am concerned with what is going to happen to the economy and our food production. I wonder if there is anything we can do about this. These days, it is hard to get anything done or changed in the government ways. Petitioning will get people aware but will not get much done to find a solution to this problem. My concern with this issue is that the farmers are only going to get poorer and produce less food, just like our economy today. The rich only get richer and the poor only get poorer. When is this going to change? What can WE do about it.
ReplyDeleteMegan Carroll
I disagree with this blog entirely. Farmers today recieve large amounts of federal money each year to grow crops and run their farm. Biofuels help decrease the costs of millions of people. Why should farmers who already recieve free money be excluded for paying high costs? Everyone eles has been for years.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with your point about livestock. Cows are actually not supposed to eat corn; it is not a part of their natural diet at all, and the only reason why they are fed corn is because it's cheap and it makes them fatter quicker so they can be slaughtered in less time. Feeding cows corn is the reason for the e.coli outbreaks in vegetables; the e.coli comes from the cow manure which is used to fertilize vegetables and other crops.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, the prices of meat will not sky rocket because they are government subsidized. This means that the government pays the meat corporations and factory farms to produce a set amount of meat.
Grain prices won't rise either because it's also government subsidized. Remember that we don't have a purely capitalist economy, so there is no risk of food shortage in America.
Ginger Tamijani