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U.S. farmers provide food, feed and fuelConcerns about U.S. reliance on foreign oil have led to a renewed interest in alternative energy sources. U.S. farmers have answered the call by providing alternative fuels like ethanol made from corn and soy biodiesel. Ethanol and distillers dried grains with solubles or DDGS accounted for about 3.7 billion bushels of U.S. corn, or about 27 percent of the supply of U.S. corn in the 2008-2009 marketing year, according to the National Corn Growers Association. That represents a growing market for U.S. farmers, but feed for livestock and poultry remains the No. 1 market, using about 39 percent of the U.S. corn supply. Another alternative fuel source is biodiesel, which uses soybeans as the primary feedstock in the United States. In 2008, the U.S. biodiesel industry produced almost 700 million gallons of biodiesel, according to the United Soybean Board. Some critics claimed the success of alternative fuels was responsible for an increase in the cost of food and that U.S. farmers should produce food rather than fuel. However, consumers don't have to choose, because farmers have the capability to produce both food and fuel. "We are producing both food and fuel today, but many people are not fully educated on the issue," says Martha Schlicher, who leads Monsanto's bioenergy efforts. "It never has to be an either or question for food or fuel, because corn used for ethanol or soybeans utilized for biodiesel also produce animal feed. In fact, after correction for the displacement of corn and soybean acres offset by animal feed produced in ethanol plants, only one-third of the corn acres taken for ethanol is used for fuel." Currently, corn can provide ethanol and still have byproducts that help feed the world. The most common byproduct of corn-based ethanol production is DDGS, which can be fed to livestock and poultry, eventually providing more food. Other byproducts from ethanol can be used as food ingredients. And ethanol made from corn is not the only biofuel that remains a food source. Soy biodiesel is made from soybean oil. After the soybeans are crushed it creates the soybean oil and high-protein soybean meal, which is fed to livestock and poultry. So, after the soybean oil is processed into soy biodiesel, the soybean meal is still creating more food after being fed to livestock and poultry. So, while U.S. farmers continue to provide a strong food supply to the world, they also have an opportunity to provide even more fuel in the future. The most recent statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Energy show the United States consumes 20.7 million or more barrels per day of petroleum. "Every unit of energy we can produce locally can help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil," says Don Borgman, director of industry relations for John Deere. Significant additional oil demand can be offset with biofuels. Increasing yields of the crops currently used for biofuels is one way to increase the total amount of biofuels produced on the same acres in the United States. Schlicher says Monsanto has pledged to double their corn yields by 2030. "If corn yields continue current trends, the U.S. has the potential to not only increase the food supply, but to increase ethanol production from about 13 billion gallons to about 18 billion gallons," says Borgman. Increasing food production will be critical. Borgman says food production will need to increase by about 70 percent to feed the growing population. U.S. agriculture has been up to challenges of producing food, but ending world hunger will require meeting many additional challenges. "We need to acknowledge that the global distribution system has economic, geopolitical and other challenges," says Borgman. "The political, distribution and infrastructure issues are much more challenging than increasing production." In addition to increasing production of current crops that provide biofuels, potential for new sources of alternative energy may exist. Research and development continues to look at possibilities such as biodiesel from algae and ethanol from excess plant material. "We are doing everything we can to look at ways to improve the economic and environmental viability of the existing industry while helping to develop additional renewable feedstocks," says Schlicher. "One example of this would be the Monsanto collaboration with Archer Daniels Midland and John Deere to help growers determine a sustainable business model for stover removal." The opportunities for farmers to provide the world with food and fuel are vast, and the issue is complicated. There is a lot of misinformation, and U.S. farmers need to do a better job of informing consumers of the truth. "U.S. agriculture has an important role to play in educating consumers," says Schlicher. "Agriculture and the important role that growers play year in assuring our food security have been misrepresented and misunderstood because people don't understand where and how their food is grown. Farmers historically have been focused on getting the job done--not talking about it, but all of us in agriculture need to take a more active role in educating the public on our accomplishments and the important role they play." One way farmers and consumers can learn more about this issue is to come see Schlicher and Borgman discuss it at the Food and Fuel Forum at Western Farm Show, Feb. 19 to 21. The Forum also will feature other expert speakers discussing ethanol, wind energy and biomass. To learn more about the Forum visit www.westernfarmshow.com.
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