WASHINGTON – Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, released the following statement on the crop report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Based on the USDA report, American farmers are expected to produce 12.3 billion bushels of corn, the second largest U.S. corn crop in history.
“The USDA crop report confirms what farmers and renewable fuels producers have known for a long time – the productive capacity of American agriculture is second to none. There have been many critics who have created and spread false fears that we cannot produce enough ethanol to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, without driving up food prices or creating food shortages. As this report confirms, nothing could be further from the truth. The American farmer has the capacity to produce enough corn for food, feed, fiber, exports and ethanol, and still have a surplus at the end of the year. Farmers are growing this abundant crop on seven percent fewer acres compared to 2007, further dispelling the myth that large land use changes are occurring at home or abroad.”
“We again call on big food companies, led by the Grocery Manufacturers Association, and others to stop perpetuating the myth that we can’t produce enough corn for both food and fuel. We urge them to look at the facts that prove ‘yes, we can!’”
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About Growth Energy
Growth Energy is a group committed to the promise of agriculture and growing America’s economy through cleaner, greener energy. Growth Energy members recognize America needs a new ethanol approach. Through smart policy reform and a proactive grassroots campaign, Growth Energy promotes reducing greenhouse gas emissions, expanding the use of ethanol in gasoline, decreasing our dependence on foreign oil, and creating American jobs at home. More information can be found at GrowthEnergy.org.