Kandiyohi County Corn and Soybean Growers Home Page

Price Check: Corn vs. Oil
With food prices rising, commentators are blaming biofuels, corn ethanol in particular. But all sense of proportion is being lost. The impact of biofuel production pales in comparison to factors like the price of oil. Consider some historical context:

In 1949, the price of corn averaged $1.24 per bushel. Yesterday, corn futures were going for $6.13 per bushel on the commodities market.

That's an increase of 394 percent in 59 years.

Now compare that to oil.

In 1949, it averaged $2.54 per barrel. Yesterday, it was going for $113.70 per barrel.

That's an increase of 4,376 percent in the same 59 years.

Petroleum products figure prominently in the price of food -- for agricultural production, packaging and transportation. So, in case anyone doubted it, with food inflation, the price of oil is a big fat elephant in the room. -American Coalition for Ethanol, April 2008

Who’s behind the Grocery Manufacturers Association attack on corn ethanol?
Thanks to our friends at corncommentary.com for bringing the following to our attention: The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has been attacking corn and ethanol lately, and one can wonder why. After all, corn and other farm inputs are only a small part of the retail food dollar. High energy costs have a much greater impact on what we pay at the grocery store checkout.

Why, then, does the GMA work openly hand-in-hand with Big Oil to knock us around? Read the full story here.

Put ethanol water usage into perspective
The Water Year Data Summary from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources offers 2005 data: Minnesota used 1431.2 billion gallons of water. The ethanol industry used two billion gallons of water last year. Golf Courses utilized 5.6 billion gallons of groundwater. Click here to read the rest of this story.

Congress and President must come together on a new Farm Bill!
The Farm Bill has been passed in both the House and Senate. Now the two bodies must come together to create a bill that will get to the President's desk to sign. There are a few major issues that still need to be worked out. There will be lengthy discussions on payment limitations and more importantly how this bill will be funded. There is still ongoing debates with environmental groups who want more money to keep conservation programs attractive. Please do your part as local members and voice your opinion to our leaders in Washington. Please us the link below to send an email to your Congressman, Senators, and The President. the more we tell them what we want, the better chance our voices will be heard in Washington!

New website up for New Farm Policies and Farm Bill
A new website is up for anyone that has questions about what is going on with the new Farm Bill and Policies. Please visit www.farmpolicyfacts.org or click on that address for instant access. The Minnesota Corn growers have teamed up with other commodity groups to insure we have a strong and necessary voice in Washington DC. Please take a look and make sure you give some feedback as this has been put together for farmers and anyone interested in a strong Agriculture system in the US.

NCGA site delivers truth about Ethanol
If you are a consumer looking for ethanol performance and cost answers or a science class wanting to learn more about biofuels, you can visit www.ethanolfacts.com. The website has been expanded recently to include additional information on ethanol and E85 as well as viewpoints on the debate over "food vs. fuel". Please take some time and check it out!

"The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything he buys at retail, sells everything he sells at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways."
Quote from John F Kennedy in speech at National Plowing Contest in Sioux Falls, South Dakota September 22, 1960.