It's a stand-off between fuel, foreign trade and American stomachs.
The government on Thursday predicted an unprecedented jump in the export of agricultural goods, while demand for corn-based ethanol continues to push prices for soybeans and wheat to new records.
The rising cost of food has bakers marching on Washington, shaped the Democratic presidential primary's debate about international trade and provoked questions about whether America can continue to be the world's breadbasket.
...The Agriculture Department estimated that farm-grown exports will total $101 billion this fiscal year, a 23 percent annual increase that would generate a $24.5 billion trade surplus among agricultural products. That is $10 billion more than the agency's November forecast, a difference caused by a chain reaction of surging commodity prices....MORE
