A story in today’s New York Times cites a new study by the World Resource Institute that attempts to discredit the significant and increasing contributions of biofuels to meet the world’s energy needs. On close inspection two things become abundantly clear. First the so-called “new” study is nothing but the same old stuff trotted out by the anti-ethanol crowd nearly …
Forbes Fuzzy Math
Forbes proved that by carefully presenting numbers in a persuasively plotted manner one can confuse a reader this weekend in its story “It’s Final – Corn Ethanol Is Of No Use”. Referencing the recent United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Working Group reports released at the end of last month, energy writer James Conca conca-cocted a seemingly sensible argument. …
Big Oil Labels Family Farmers Extremists
A true David and Goliath battle is under way between the nation’s family farmers and Big Oil in the form of the American Petroleum Institute (API). And farmers in recent weeks bounced a big rock off the head of the petroleum behemoth. At issue is American ethanol. For months the oil industry has been involved in a well-funded campaign of …
Low Crop Prices Line Corporate Pockets
With cotton prices falling, reports indicating larger profit margins for apparel manufacturers are surfacing. In the discussion, reporters do not seem to even ask if the companies that cover our rears will lower the price of a pair of jeans. The fact that they will keep the profits comes as a given. So, why does the idea that falling corn …
Keep Your Money out of Oil’s Well-Manicured Clutches
What do you call a woman who whines about high grocery prices but shops at Whole Foods while she does it? What if she is wearing high-end yoga apparel, a designer handbag and jewelry from the most exclusive collections while she does it? Out of touch? Worse? Big Oil thinks that most Americans would call her my neighbor, share her …
Chicken Wing Shortage Claims Are as Bogus as the Calls of a Replacement Referee
Newspapers, online sources and television reports alike have spent days now terrifying a hungry public with reports that party food favorite buffalo chicken wings will be in short supply this Super Bowl. Linking the supposed shortage to a variety of factors, from the drought to government biofuels policy, these reporters need to check their readily available facts. Chicken wings will …
Crying Fowl on the Chicken Council
Big Food is running in circles to rehash old – and incorrect – claims about renewable fuel. This time, it’s the National Chicken Council trying to scare football fans about the supply of chicken wings, and it’s déjà vu all over again: the industry repeatedly ignores the true drivers of food costs. Despite the Chicken Council’s claims, the poultry industry …
What to Expect When You’re Expecting (Next Year’s Crop)
Corn farmers might be wise to take a cue from a certain sector of their counterparts in traditional business sectors and learn the value of expectations management. In 2012, farmers felt the brunt of their own success as, after years of continually pushing the boundaries of how much they could grow using fewer resources, a massive drought hit the Corn …
It’s almost Thanksgiving. So let’s talk turkey.
Today’s post originally ran on the Fuels America blog. Fuels America, of which the National Corn Growers Association is a founding member, is a coalition of organizations committed to protecting America’s Renewable Fuel Standard and promoting the benefits of all types of renewable fuel already growing in America. Fuels America is founded on a simple core principle: Renewable fuel is good …
News Flash! RFS Based in Benefits of Ethanol, Not Random Regulation
Drowned out by adamant cries rising from sides that oppose or support a waiver of the Renewable Fuel Standard, an important question has been, in a large part, ignored. Would waiving the RFS have the desired affect? With a single, simple action, can the EPA actually lower corn prices and improve the profitability of the livestock industry? This weekend, the …