10 Ways Ethanol is Helping Livestock Producers
by Joanna Schroeder (DomesticFuel.com) … (E)thanol production provides multiple benefits to Midwestern livestock producers:
1. The ethanol industry has driven the production of a larger corn crop. Simply put, there is more corn to go around.
2. The ethanol industry will bear the brunt of any rationing stemming from the drought. Without ethanol, the smaller corn harvest (yield and acres) would have to be rationed solely by livestock producers (domestic or export customers).
3. Due to ethanol demand, seed companies spent much more than they would have otherwise on research and development over the last decade. As a result, farmers have access to seed varieties with greater yields that can withstand the drought much better than in prior years, like 1988.
4. Maintaining the RFS sends a market signal to world farmers (including those in South America who will be planting soon) and U.S. farmers not to reduce corn acres. Conversely, lowering the threshold for waiving the RFS would send a market signal that renewable fuels are not a reliable market and corn acres planted would be reduced – ultimately hurting the livestock groups asking for such a waiver. READ MORE and MORE (Iowa Renewable Fuels Association) and MORE (DomesticFuel.com) includes audio interviews and MORE (The Independent)
