Missouri and Kansas may be rivals on the football field but they are on the same team when it comes to the “food versus fuel” issue.
The Missouri Corn Merchandising Council teamed up with the Kansas Corn Commission and the Renewable Fuels Now Coalition for a targeted radio campaign in the Kansas City region. The 30-second spots have been airing on KCFX, KCMO, WHB and KMBZ feature a radio host called “The Food Dude” answering callers’ questions about higher food prices. This air-time was paid for with corn grower checkoff funds and is operating under the Renewable Fuels Now Coalition banner. The educational radio efforts will run through July 1.
These radio spots include a space at the end for local taglines and are available for use by request from the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) in Omaha. Listen to the “Food Dude” spot here:
A great man once said “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) Unfortunately, the general public is faced with conflicting “truths” on a daily basis so its hard for them to tell just “what is truth.”
A group called the 2020 Project is sponsoring a campaign called FoodPriceTruth.org in an attempt to break through the clutter and be heard on the food versus fuel issue that is being distorted by the media, Big Food and Big Oil.
According to the 2020 Project blog, “We are sponsoring the project because the debate about “food versus fuel” has been skewed by corporate interests running aggressive PR campaigns. The Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA) — who are underwriting the campaign — want the world to believe that biofuels are increasing the price of food while its largest members spike food prices and sharply increase their profits during the crisis. General Mills, Kellogg and Kraft are all reporting much higher profits this quarter — some of their quarterly reports acknowledge that their profits stem from higher prices –while their lobbying arm pretends to be sympathetic to the consumer.”
Food Price Truth is supported by donations from several biofuels stakeholders, including advanced biofuels companies. Their mission is to “provide a clearinghouse of information designed to set the record straight on the domestic and worldwide food crisis.”
The challenge is for the public to decide whose truth they are going to believe.
Sunday was “Proud to be a Midwestern Corn Grower Day” during the telecast of the Iowa Corn Indy 250. The only thing that would have made the day better would have been the Team Ethanol car in the winner’s circle. But Ryan Hunter Reay certainly gave it a good go.
Just about every other commercial during the race broadcast was one from the corn growers and they were excellent spots. I also loved the opening “start your corn ethanol-fueled engines” heralded by Iowa Corn Promotion Board chairman Julius Schaaf.
The spot below is my personal favorite from the race, featuring corn growers proclaiming they are proud to be America’s feed, food and fuel providers. GO Corn!!!
ICM, Inc. made what could quite possibly be a revolutionary announcement today about technology that can be added to existing ethanol plants to allow the production of both fuel AND food. Not just distillers grains to feed livestock, but high quality protein to feed people.
ICM president Dave Vander Griend says their technology can literally help to feed the world. “There’s been a lot of talk about the global need for grain, but in fact, the global need is really for protein,” he said.
The process separates the corn kernel into its three main components – endosperm, germ and bran. Optimizing the whole kernel allows for the production of a number of food and feed grade co-products as well as another alternate fuel source to power the plant itself.
One of the most promising aspects of the technology is the protein that can be separated out from the germ. “Because that protein is a very amino acid balanced protein, a very healthy protein,” Dave says. The protein can be then utilized as a supplement to make a better food product and could be exported as part of the United States food aid program.
I interviewed Dave about this exciting opportunity during the Fuel Ethanol Workshop in Nashville. He also talks about the mood of the industry and his feelings about the efficiency of American farmers.
There is a GREAT promotion and radio campaign underway in Iowa that should be duplicated all over the country.
It’s called “Join the Ride,” under the auspices of Iowa Farm Bureau, and it includes a great website with energy facts and other information, as well as a wonderful radio spot and promotion to win $1500 in free ethanol.
Listen to the radio spot here:
You have to listen to it to get the full impact, but here is a transcript:
“Hi, I’m Wink Davis and this is ‘Pass the Buck,’ the game show where everyone’s to blame but yourself. Let’s welcome back our champion for the last 80 years – the oil industry! How ya doin’ Big Oil?”
“Never better, Wink.”
“Well, here’s your first question – the rise in oil prices are responsible for the majority of our rising food costs. How…?”
“Wasn’t us – we were out of town last year.”
“Eww, sorry, doesn’t look like anyone’s going to believe that.”
“I’ll try a misdirect, Wink – poor, starving children.”
“Nice try, but hunger is caused by political unrest and weather, not rising food costs.”
“Let’s try blaming that ETHANOL stuff.”
“Ooo, interesting tactic. Even though ethanol is actually keeping fuel costs down by up to 50 cents a gallon and corn production for food is up 26 percent, people might actually buy it …. oh, sorry Oil, looks like you couldn’t pull the wool over America’s eyes this time.”
“France – we’ll blame France – nobody likes France.”
“Don’t believe their hype. Rising oil costs is the number one contributor to high food costs which affect us all. Learn more. Visit Join the Ride Iowa.com and win a chance for $1500 in free ethanol. Brought to you by the Iowa Farm Bureau.”
The head of the U.N.’s climate agency (UNFCCC) rejected the idea that carbon-cutting biofuels should be banned, after helping drive up food prices by using crops such as corn to make an ethanol alternative to gasoline.
“I think biofuels are a very important part of the solution,” de Boer said.
The corn ethanol industry may need to take some cues from the opposition.
Think about it. Why is it that a totally baseless argument that “the amount of grain needed to make enough ethanol to fill a 25-gallon SUV tank would feed a child for a year” has stuck like an urban legend and continues to be quoted in news reports? Because it paints a picture and provides an easy frame of reference for people. Who cares if it’s completely wrong and/or irrelevant, it sounds good and people can easily remember it.
USDA’s chief economist Joe Glauber and Ag Secretary Ed Schafer certainly had the right intention during this morning’s press conference loaded down with statistics and power points, but there was not a good 30 second sound bite to be had there, so chances are it will be completely forgotten. Every darn thing they said was absolutely correct and backed up with research and facts, but who cares if no one can remember it?
It’s like Missouri Corn Growers Association president Mike Geske says, “We have fully proved our case. Yet the misinformation, misrepresentation, and urban myths keep getting repeated over and over and over.” (see previous post by Ken)
At the recent National Agri-Marketing Association annual meeting, one of the general session speakers was Dan Heath, co-author of “Made to Stick – Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die.” Maybe we should all get a copy of this and read it and implement some of his suggestions. Either that or shell out $300,000 for a two-month campaign with some high-powered PR agency.
“We think the time has come for USDA to join in the public conversation about the relationship between food prices and biofuels,” said Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer during a Monday morning press briefing. “We want to offer our perspective and what has happened in the marketplace, to share our data and the analysis of what has happened.”
Presenting the data was USDA chief economist Dr. Joe Glauber, who pointed out all the factors that have contributed to higher food prices in the last year including economic growth, weather, export restrictions, higher food marketing and transportation costs, and finally, increases in biofuels.
An economic analysis of the pass-through for an increase in corn prices on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) shows that a 50 percent increase in corn prices raises the CPI less than one percent, but Glauber says, “It’s a difficult thing to sort out how much of the increase in corn prices was necessarily due to ethanol.”
However, he says the Council of Economic Advisers estimates the total global increase in corn-based ethanol production accounts for only about three percent of the recent increase in global food prices.
When it comes to the food and fuel debate, our state corn associations are going far in stirring up the troops and demonstrating how enraging it can be to be maligned unfairly by those who don’t want to bother listening to our side of things.
Mike Geske, president of the Missouri Corn Growers Association, summed this up well in a column this week in Corn and Soybean Digest:
We have fully proved our case. Yet the misinformation, misrepresentation, and urban myths keep getting repeated over and over and over. At what point does the media become embarrassed at repeating the same, already proven wrong mantra. Much of the media seem to relish promoting the best voodoo research that the oil companies, OPEC, and Hugo Chavez are able to buy.
Missouri and Kansas may be rivals on the football field but they are on the same team when it comes to the “food versus fuel” issue.
A group called the 2020 Project is sponsoring a campaign called 
Sunday was “Proud to be a Midwestern Corn Grower Day” during the telecast of the Iowa Corn Indy 250. The only thing that would have made the day better would have been the Team Ethanol car in the winner’s circle. But Ryan Hunter Reay certainly gave it a good go. 
The process separates the corn kernel into its three main components – endosperm, germ and bran. Optimizing the whole kernel allows for the production of a number of food and feed grade co-products as well as another alternate fuel source to power the plant itself.
“Hi, I’m Wink Davis and this is ‘Pass the Buck,’ the game show where everyone’s to blame but yourself. Let’s welcome back our champion for the last 80 years – the oil industry! How ya doin’ Big Oil?”
Think about it. Why is it that a totally baseless argument that “the amount of grain needed to make enough ethanol to fill a 25-gallon SUV tank would feed a child for a year” has stuck like an urban legend and continues to be quoted in news reports? Because it paints a picture and provides an easy frame of reference for people. Who cares if it’s completely wrong and/or irrelevant, it sounds good and people can easily remember it.
Presenting the data was USDA chief economist Dr. Joe Glauber, who pointed out all the factors that have contributed to higher food prices in the last year including economic growth, weather, export restrictions, higher food marketing and transportation costs, and finally, increases in biofuels.