Food & Fuel - 11.18.08
NCGA Responds to Newest Ethanol Attack

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) responded strongly today to ethanol critics who launched another wave of attacks on corn and ethanol.  This attack on ethanol comes from the same group that failed earlier this year in its efforts to reduce the renewable fuels standard and increase our country’s dependence on foreign oil.

“These same ethanol critics are the ones who virtually promised to reduce food prices immediately, and have failed to do so, even though corn prices and energy prices are down by more than half in the last few weeks,” NCGA President Bob Dickey said in a radio interview syndicated to dozens of radio stations nationwide.

“Food prices remain at a very high level. It’s ironic that food companies are reporting record profits, and food prices are higher --for smaller packages of food items, in many cases. When will their prices come down?”

Click here to listen to Dickey’s interview

Read more of the story

Online Resources
Food “Versus” Fuel: Case Closed
Ethanol Helps Rural America
U.S. Corn Growers: Producing Food and Fuel
RFA Analysis of the Excise Tax Exemption

Food & Fuel - 11.17.08
NCGA CEO Calls for Food Price Cut and Stresses Ethanol as Part of Energy Solution

At a recent conference on ethanol, National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) Chief Executive Officer Rick Tolman stressed the importance of ethanol for energy independence and called on food manufacturers to lower food prices now that commodity and energy prices have dropped.

“Corn prices have dropped by about half since earlier this year, yet food prices have remained high and are expected by some to remain high,” Tolman noted. With commodity and energy costs now significantly lower, it’s time for food companies to take a hard look at the prices they’ve increased – often, for smaller packages designed to look like the larger-sized packages.

“Ethanol is an important part of America’s balanced energy sector and needs to play a bigger part if we are to reduce our dependence on foreign oil with a fuel source that is home-grown and renewable,” Tolman said. “At this time of economic crisis, U.S. ethanol production supports jobs and communities in rural America while boosting our nation’s gross domestic product and paying its share of taxes to fund important government programs.”