Monday, May 21, 2007

New Study Warns U.S. Near Tipping Point in Corn-Based Ethanol

Some notes on the corn ethanol (Moonshine) study from Iowa State University linked below.

"It was funded in part by AMI, Grocery Manufacturers/Food Products Association, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, National Chicken Council, NGFA, National Pork Producers Council and National Turkey Federation."--American Meat Institute press release.

The Des Moines Register and the Minneapolis StarTribune focused on financial returns to investors in ethanol and biodiesel plants.

Economists foresee bleak growth in biodiesel. Will ethanol's flame last? " Iowa State researchers say that owners of new ethanol plants will see returns evaporate by next year as ethanol prices drop."

The Sioux Falls Argus Leader "Ethanol industry trend: Will big companies take over?"

In a prescient piece "Food prices continue to rise" The LA Times looked at food price inflation.

And finally an investment opportunity I didn't think of "Large corn crop may lead to storage shortage" from the Ohio Farm Bureau and "Grain storage is a hot commodity" from the Courier (Waterloo, IA)