Debunking Glenn Beck on ethanol debate

Guest writer Jesse Johnson,
Social Media Director, South Dakota Corn Growers Association

National Corn Growers Association

In case you didn’t know it, Glenn Beck hates ethanol and has always been very vocal about it including a recent rant using some fear mongering about our national corn supply where he brings up the food vs. fuel argument.

Glenn must be desperate for killing some air time because the food vs. fuel debate has been put to bed more times than a teething two year-old. Beck, like every other anti-ethanol rube fails to mention the contribution of dried distillers grain (DDG’s), corn ethanol’s by product which can be fed to cattle, hogs, poultry and aquaculture. One-third of the corn used for ethanol comes back as DDG’s as the production process only removes the starch.

DDG’s impact includes replacing more than one million bushels of corn for feed in the U.S. and its overall production is equivalent to the number four corn producing nation in the world. Distillers grain exports are in high demand in Asia, the Middle East, Canada and Mexico.

Numerous experts have come out over the past few weeks with the same message, “Don’t blame ethanol and farmers for rising food prices.” The reason behind rising food costs has much more to do with rising oil prices, weather and unrest in the Middle East.

Beck says only one billion bushels will be going to food…wait, he does know that humans don’t consume yellow number two corn, right? Well that’ tough to say when a so-called expert totally excludes distillers grain from a food vs. fuel argument.

Glen states that farmers can’t produce more corn. While much depends on the weather, with increased seed and farming technologies corn yields are still trending upwards allowing farmers to consistently meet the world’s demands for food, feed, fuel and fiber.

Beck with finishes with the line, “It’s like we are being set up for a lose-lose.”

I’m sorry Mr. Beck but reducing our countries dependence on foreign oil, creating jobs, bettering the environment and producing a high-protein livestock feed sounds like nothing but winning to me


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