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• Jul 25, 2008 Our View on energy: Ethanol production soars, but its allure plummets For the past quarter-century, U.S. energy policy has been generally non-existent. To the extent there has been one, it has been to keep gasoline cheap. But one element stands out as a dramatic exception to this minimalist approach. Through a series of generous tax subsidies and production...     USA Today        more   
• Jul 24, 2008 Fix Ethanol Mess All it takes is a trip to the supermarket or a drive by any gas station to see that something has gone terribly wrong with America's fuel policy.     The San Diego Union Tribune        more   
• Jul 7, 2008 NY Times ED Man-Made Hunger NY Times Editorial
  Thirty countries have already seen food riots this year. The ever higher cost of food could push tens of millions of people into abject poverty and starvation     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Jun 10, 2008 Food Before Fuel Campaign Launched with Goal of Encouraging Congress to Revisit Food-to-Fuel Policies Today, AMI, together with more than 20 environmental, retail, hunger, Hispanic and food industry groups – announced the launch of the Food Before Fuel Campaign, a coalition effort urging Congress to revisit the nation’s food-to-fuel policies, a key factor in the growing global food crisis.     American Meat Institute        more...  
• Jun 10, 2008 Bill Aimed at Reducing Ethanol Tariff Introduced Senators Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat, and Judd Gregg, a New Hampshire Republican, introduced legislation this week (S. 3080) to lower the tariff to on imported ethanol to bring it in line with U.S. ethanol blending subsidies, which a recently enacted farm bill lowered to 45 cents per...     American Meat Institute        more...  
• Jun 2, 2008 Egg Price Rise Reflects Soaring Costs for Diesel, Feed, Chicks By Dan Chapman
  Shoppers cluck-clucking over the high price of eggs --- up 30 percent from a year ago --- can blame Larry Thomason, but the North Georgia egg farmer has money woes of his own     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• May 29, 2008 Corn Squeezin' Owners of Feedlots Have a Beef By Kimberly S. Johnson
  Every time Rose Brown goes to Safeway on East 20th Avenue in Denver, she peruses the beef section, but she doesn't always buy.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• May 23, 2008 Feed and Fuel Costs Put Squeeze on Poultry Producer By Russ Whitman
  Despite high commodity prices, poultry processors are feeling the squeeze of rapidly advancing feed and fuel costs. To the casual observer, current chicken and turkey prices look to be in good shape based on historical performance. But the initial effects of high corn prices...     Foodmarket News        more   
• May 22, 2008 Ethanol's popularity wanes amid rising food prices By David Mercer, The Associated Press
  CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Not long ago, the fledgling ethanol industry was the darling of investors, farmers, the federal government and a lot of Americans who liked the idea of turning corn into fuel. Suddenly, it doesn't have nearly as many friends.     USA Today        more   
• May 16, 2008 Tyson: Feed costs will make chicken more expensive CHICAGO (Reuters) — Meat company Tyson Foods (TSN) said Thursday that there will be less, but more expensive, chicken on supermarket shelves this summer as higher feed prices are passed onto consumers.     Reuters        more   
• May 13, 2008 Corn Prices Rise, Pitting Chickens Against Ethanol By Cindy Skrzycki
  Taking corn from the mouths of chickens to put into the gas tanks of U.S. cars and trucks is causing feathers to fly in Washington. The $40 billion chicken industry, along with livestock producers, oil interests, grocers and some environmental and anti-hunger groups are...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• May 13, 2008 Corn Prices Rise, Pitting Chickens Against Ethanol By Cindy Skrzycki
  Taking corn from the mouths of chickens to put into the gas tanks of U.S. cars and trucks is causing feathers to fly in Washington. The $40 billion chicken industry, along with livestock producers, oil interests, grocers and some environmental and anti-hunger groups are...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• May 5, 2008 Turkey Farmers Pin Hopes on New Grain Complex By Carlos Santos
  The massive $10.5 million grain complex near Harrisonburg that formally opened this week will help Shenandoah Valley turkey farmers fight the twin scourges of high feed and fuel prices.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• May 5, 2008 Pilgrim's Pride Second Quarter Loss Widens on High Feed Costs By Linda Lindner
  Poultry producer, Pilgrim's Pride today reported a net loss of $111.45 million for the second quarter ending March 29 citing higher feed prices and charges relating to the closing of some facilities.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• May 3, 2008 Corn Ethanol Loses More Support By Siobhan Hughes, Ian Talley and Anjali Cordeiro
  Rising food prices are prodding lawmakers in Washington to rethink support for corn ethanol.     The Wall Street Journal        more   
• May 1, 2008 Ethanol vs. food debate growing Corn for fuel leaves less to fill stomachs
  By Joshua Boak
  Before milk prices started spiraling, before gas prices passed $3.50 and before food riots broke out in several countries, ethanol was the darling of energy alternatives. It gave jobs to rural communities and offered an...     Chicago Tribune        more   
• Apr 28, 2008 Food for Fuel Using a global staple such as corn for biofuel rather than food seemed to make sense when there was a surplus of cheap grain and worsening U.S. dependence on foreign oil. The federal government was quick to boost the new industry with escalating mandates that require 8 billion gallons of...     Houston Chronicle        more   
• Apr 28, 2008 Food for Fuel Using a global staple such as corn for biofuel rather than food seemed to make sense when there was a surplus of cheap grain and worsening U.S. dependence on foreign oil. The federal government was quick to boost the new industry with escalating mandates that require 8 billion gallons of...     Houston Chronicle        more   
• Apr 24, 2008 Hungry Like the Ethanol Wolf By The Editors
  The federal government can do something right now to provide relief to Americans facing higher food prices: Repeal the ethanol mandate. The diversion of one-third of the American corn crop into ethanol production is a direct result of the 2005 law that required gasoline...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Apr 24, 2008 Hungry Like the Ethanol Wolf By The Editors
  The federal government can do something right now to provide relief to Americans facing higher food prices: Repeal the ethanol mandate. The diversion of one-third of the American corn crop into ethanol production is a direct result of the 2005 law that required gasoline...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Apr 19, 2008 Corn-Based Ethanol Tied to Higher Food Costs By Siobhan Hughes
  Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said Friday that the growing emphasis on corn-based ethanol has contributed to higher food prices, and he said the nation should begin "moving away gradually" from ethanol made from food such as corn.     The Wall Street Journal        more   
• Apr 19, 2008 Corn-Based Ethanol Tied to Higher Food Costs By Siobhan Hughes
  Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said Friday that the growing emphasis on corn-based ethanol has contributed to higher food prices, and he said the nation should begin "moving away gradually" from ethanol made from food such as corn.     The Wall Street Journal        more   
• Apr 15, 2008 We are victims of ethanol's unintended consequences By James Regions
  The Willow Brook Foods bad-news headline would have been more accurate if it announced, "Lost to Ethanol, 780 Local Jobs."
  Almost lost in the announcement of job losses at Willow Brook Foods on March 30, was the phrase, "...rising feed costs have posed significant...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Apr 7, 2008 Grains Gone Wild By Paul Krugman
  These days you hear a lot about the world financial crisis. But there’s another world crisis under way — and it’s hurting a lot more people     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Apr 7, 2008 Soaring Food Costs Seen Linked to Rapidly Expanding Ethanol Sector NEW ORLEANS – April 7, 2008 – Soaring food prices in the United States are caused in part by $25 billion per year in unnecessary costs imposed on food producers by the federally subsidized ethanol industry, which is itself teetering on the brink of contraction due to rampant over-expansion and...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Apr 6, 2008 Soaring Food Costs are tied to Bad U.S. Energy Policy By Linda Chavez
  As if a housing crisis, rising energy costs and a soft labor market weren't enough to cause economic anxiety for the average American, now consumers are feeling the pinch of rapidly escalating food costs. The United States has long prided itself in being the breadbasket of...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Mar 27, 2008 The Clean Energy Scam By Michael Grunwald
  From his Cessna a mile above the southern Amazon, John Carter looks down on the destruction of the world's greatest ecological jewel. He watches men converting rain forest into cattle pastures and soybean fields with bulldozers and chains. He sees fires wiping out such...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Mar 26, 2008 U.N.'s Pachauri Urges Caution in Biofuel Use By Ingrid Melander
  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The world must take care when developing biofuels to avoid perverse environmental effects and higher food prices, Nobel Peace Prize winner and climate change scientist Rajendra Pachauri said on Wednesday.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Mar 25, 2008 Top Scientists Warn Against Rush to Biofuel By James Randerson and Nicholas Watt
  Gordon Brown is preparing for a battle with the European Union over biofuels after one of the government's leading scientists warned they could exacerbate climate change rather than combat it.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Mar 24, 2008 Biofuel Support Policy Costs to the U.S. Economy By Dr. Thomas E. Elam, President, FarmEcon LLC
  The U.S. government has a long history of aiding the biofuel industry. In 1978 the first federal financial supports for use of ethanol blended with gasoline were set at a fixed $0.40 per gallon payment for 1 gallon of ethanol added to 9...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Mar 20, 2008 Study: More Ethanol Production Bad for Gulf of Mexico The rush in the United States to produce corn-based ethanol as an alternative fuel will likely worsen pollution in the Gulf of Mexico and expand the annual "dead zone" that kills fish and other aquatic life, according to new research.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Mar 18, 2008 Corn Can't Save Us By David Pimentel
  Dwindling foreign oil, rising prices at the gas pump and hype from politically well-connected U.S. agribusiness have combined to create a frenzied rush to convert food grains into ethanol fuel. The move is badly conceived and ill advised.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more...  
• Mar 18, 2008 the Growing Food Cost Crisis By Kent Garber
  The troubles erupted early last year. First, there were the tortilla riots in Mexico City: 75,000 angry demonstrators, mostly poor, taking to the streets to protest the surging price of a food staple. Then in Italy, merchants from Milan began clamoring about the cost of...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more...  
• Mar 14, 2008 Why your food is costing more money By Tom Curry
  If you’re fuming about how high gasoline prices have gotten, why not relax with a nice meal? Perhaps a few beers and a turkey sandwich? Maybe a chicken Caesar salad? Well, it's not just the price of gasoline that's going up. That beer, turkey and chicken are also costing more...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more...  
• Mar 13, 2008 Pilgrim's Pride to Close Plants By Lauren Etter
  Pilgrim's Pride Corp., the world's largest poultry producer by volume, said it is paring its chicken business, slashing more than a thousand U.S. jobs in the process, as soaring grain prices pinch margins.     The Wall Street Journal        more   
• Mar 12, 2008 Ethanol is a cruel hoax on the American consumer By Walter Williams
  One of the many mandates of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 calls for oil companies to increase the amount of ethanol mixed with gasoline. President Bush said, during his 2006 State of the Union address, "America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Mar 12, 2008 Valero CEO: Corn Ethanol Worse than Climate Change By Bernie Woodall
  Using corn to produce ethanol will make food so expensive in poor countries that it will cause more misery than global warming, the chief of the biggest U.S. refining company claimed this week.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Mar 11, 2008 Expert Economist Says National Ethanol Policy Continuing to Drive Meat and Poultry Prices Higher Nashville, Tenn., March 11, 2008 – U.S. ethanol policy is continuing to drive meat and poultry prices higher, according to preliminary results of an analysis by expert economist Tom Elam, Ph.D., president of Farm Econ. Elam offered a preview of his soon-to-be-released study at the Annual Meat...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Feb 26, 2008 Wholesale Prices Jump in January By MARTIN CRUTSINGER The Associated Press
  WASHINGTON -- Battered by bad economic news, consumer confidence plunged while wholesale food, energy and medicine costs soared, pushing inflation up at the fastest pace in a quarter century.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Feb 26, 2008 High food prices may force aid rationing By Javier Blas in Washington and Gillian Tett in London The United Nation’s agency responsible for relieving hunger is drawing up plans to ration food aid in response to the spiralling cost of agricultural commodities.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Feb 21, 2008 Ethanol Demand in U.S. Adds to Food, Fertilizer Costs By Alan Bjerga
  Feb. 21 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. plans to replace 15 percent of gasoline consumption with crop-based fuels including ethanol are already leading to some unintended consequences as food prices and fertilizer costs increase.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Feb 21, 2008 Food takes bigger bite from wallet By Mike Hughlett and Mary Ellen Podmolik, Chicago Tribune Hughlett reported from Florida;Podmolik reported from Chicago. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
  Sara Lee Corp., stung by record-high wheat prices, plans to raise prices on its namesake bread this spring, the...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Feb 8, 2008 Study: Ethanol May Add to Global Warming By H. JOSEF HEBERT
  The Associated Press
  WASHINGTON -- The widespread use of ethanol from corn could result in nearly twice the greenhouse gas emissions as the gasoline it would replace because of expected land-use changes, researchers concluded Thursday. The study challenges the...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Feb 4, 2008 Hefty Grain Prices Will Keep Egg, Dairy and Protein Costs High Corn, wheat and soybeans—consider them the building blocks of food cost. The Mitchell Report aside, grain prices may as well have been on steroids for the past two years, and 2008 looks to be more of the same.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Feb 4, 2008 Biofuels Policy to Affect Poultry Paul of Poultry Perspectives in Storrs, Conn., prepared an invited lecture paper for the World’s Poultry Science Assn. on the “Impact on the World Poultry Industry of the Global Shift to Biofuels.”     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Jan 30, 2008 The Promise of Cellulosic Ethanol Contributed by Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.)
  As we move forward toward diversifying our nation's energy supplies and addressing the challenge of global warming, it is vitally important to closely monitor reliance on corn-based ethanol.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Jan 27, 2008 The Egg As Economic Indicator High gasoline prices routinely make headlines - and draw consumers' ire. Although the price of eggs also has been rising, it hasn't received much attention. Maybe that's because egg prices aren't posted on giant billboards.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Jan 14, 2008 Corn is Golden, so Conservation Takes Hit By Spencer Hunt THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH Higher corn prices have farmers dropping out of a conservation program that pays them to plant grasses instead of crops.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Dec 13, 2007 The end of cheap food Released Dec. 6, 2007
  From The Economist print edition
  FOR as long as most people can remember, food has been getting cheaper and farming has been in decline. In 1974-2005 food prices on world markets fell by three-quarters in real terms. Food today is so cheap that the West is battling...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Dec 12, 2007 Food vs. Fuel By Robert J. Samuelson
  If people can't eat, they can't do much else. One of the great achievements of the past century has been the enormous expansion of food production, which has virtually eliminated starvation in advanced countries and has made huge gains against it in poor countries.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Dec 10, 2007 American Meat Institute Statement on New Study Addressing Rising
  Food Prices and Corn-based Ethanol The following statement should be attributed to J. Patrick Boyle, President and CEO, American Meat Institute, in response to the release of “Analysis of Potential Causes of Consumer Food Price Inflation.”     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Dec 7, 2007 Ethanol bill fuels food Expect the price of beef, pork, chicken and a host of other goods to go up if the House energy bill becomes law. But the trade-off may be worth it.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Dec 6, 2007 Statement of Administration Policy In his 2007 State of the Union Address, President Bush announced the “Twenty in Ten” Initiative, a plan to reduce projected gasoline usage in the United States by 20 percent in 10 years. “Twenty in Ten” called on Congress to pass legislation that would: (1) establish an Alternative Fuel Standard...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Dec 5, 2007 Grocery Manufactures Association Bill Opposition Letter Dear Representative:
  As the largest association of food and beverage companies in the world, the Grocery Manufacturers Association strongly opposes efforts to increase the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) in the energy legislation coming to the House floor this week. The legislation would ...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Dec 5, 2007 U.S. Chamber of Commerce Letter of Opposition TO THE MEMBERS OF THE U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:
  The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the world’s largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region, strongly urges you to oppose the “Energy Independence and Security...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Dec 5, 2007 NCBA Vote NO on House Energy Bill Dear Representative:
  The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) urges you to vote ‘NO’ on the newly amended version of H.R. 6, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Cattle producers support efforts to develop renewable and alternative sources of energy; however, the impact...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Dec 5, 2007 National Turkey Federation Letter of Opposition Dear Representative:
  The National Turkey Federation (NTF) urges you to vote "NO" on the most recent version of H.R.6, the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Dec 3, 2007 White House Letter of Opposition Dear Madam Speaker:
  As part of his State of the Union Address this past January, the President announced "Twenty in Ten," a comprehensive vision for a more secure, cleaner energy future. This proposal wpouldn't cut U.S. gasoline consumption by 20% by 2017 and would significantly reduce...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Dec 1, 2007 Ethanol policy – what a turkey By Ernest Istook
  Ethanol subsidies are raising our food prices – dubbed the "Thanksgiving Tax" because it upped the cost we paid for Thanksgiving dinner     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Nov 29, 2007 Food Industry Coalition Letter of Opposition Dear Leaders:
  While we support a balanced energy policy that puts us on the path to energy security and a cleaner environment, the undersigned organizations and companies strongly oppose the Renewable Fuels Standard that is reportedly being considered for inclusion in new energy...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Nov 29, 2007 Independent Cattlemen’s Assoc. of TX Letter of Opposition Dear Representative:
  Texas livestock strongly opposes all efforts to increase the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). Please vote against any increase to the RFS that may be offered as part of the Farm Bill, the Energy Bill or any other bill.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Nov 28, 2007 Ethanol a sticking point in energy bill WASHINGTON — With oil prices in record territory, presidential candidates stumping for votes in corn-centric Iowa, and congressional. Democrats anxious to pass an energy bill to cut the nation's dependence on Mideast oil, this should be the right moment for ethanol.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Nov 24, 2007 Ethanol's Bottom Line By ROBERT HAHN
  To hear the candidates tell it -- especially those on the stump in Iowa -- ethanol is the answer to America's energy-security woes. And back in Washington, politicians since 1978 have been putting your money where their mouths are: Ethanol is currently subsidized to the...     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Oct 11, 2007 Ethanol Industry Is Losing Clout The stalling ethanol industry wants Congress to mandate greater use of the biofuel. But many of the industry's former friends have turned against it amid soaring prices for corn and other grains.     Balancedfoodandfuel.org        more   
• Sep 19, 2007 Fuel Ethanol Subsidies: An Economic Perspective Dr. Thomas E. Elam
  The current Federal ethanol subsidy program does not reflect realities of current energy and food markets.    more   
• Sep 1, 2007 U.S. Ethanol Expansion Driving Changes Throughout the Agricultural Sectors Paul C. Westcott Explosive growth of ethanol production brings adjustments to U.S. agriculture that reach far beyond the corn sector.     Click here for more>>>        more...  
• Jun 29, 2007 Two necessities, fuel and food, create spiral of rising prices By Victor Davis Hanson
  While we worry about gas prices, the costs of milk, meat and fresh produce silently soar. So like the end of cheap energy, is the era of cheap food also finally over?     Click here for more>>>        more...  
• Jun 28, 2007 Food costs rise as corn prices skyrocket By Jennifer Ruggiero
  Restaurant owners and their customers are paying the price for a greener Earth. The United States' expanded production of ethanol has sent the price of corn skyrocketing, from previous highs of about $2 a bushel to more than $3.50 today.     Click here for more>>>        more...  
• Jun 27, 2007 How more ethanol means pricier pizza Rising Prices for Corn Drives Up Cost of Milk and Other Dairy Products Milk may do a body good, but these days it's probably your wallet that gets the big workout.     Click here for more>>>        more...  
• Jun 26, 2007 Ethanol demand pushes corn feed prices LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) -- Motorists might save a few cents a gallon filling their tanks with ethanol, but they could soon be paying more for a burger and a milkshake as a result.    more   
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