Source: NCGA (2008)
U.S. corn growers are stated by the NCGA to have responded to the increase in demand by producing "the five largest corn crops in history over the past five years - with the 2007-08 crop setting an all-time record of 14.4 billion bushels." (NCGA, 2008) Annual production is stated to have averaged 11.3 billion bushels from 2003/04 to 2007/08 compared with an average of 9.5 billion bushels in the previous five crop years." (NCGA, 2008) Acres are planted by corn growers in response to the marketplace signals and when corn demand is high and "revenue per-acres is strong relative to other crops, farmers will plant more corn." (NCGA, 2008) This is precisely what occurred in 2007 as farmers planted "92.9 million acres to corn, a 19% increase over 2006 and the highest levels since 1944." (NCGA, 2008) Farmers planted 87 million acres in 2008 to corn reflecting the rise in prices of other commodities as the basis for this decision. While there are stated to be challenges related to the weather for the 2008/09 corn crop, the report from the USDA predicts "higher-than-expected corn acres planted with an estimated 12 billion bushel harvest..." And "data from ProExporter Network estimates a corn surplus of over one billion bushels in 2008/09 in light of increased demand. There is no shortage of corn in terms of total supply and demand." (NCGA, 2008) The following chart shows the U.S. corn acres 2001-2002 and projected corn acres 2011-2012 as stated by the NCGA.
Source: NCGA (2008)
The National Corn Growers Association states that increase of yield per acre will enable an adequate corn supply to enter all future markets. The average corn yield is stated approximately three bushels per acre each year since the crop year 1995-1006. The ten-year historical trend shows that by 201516 the average corn yield may reach 175 bushels per acres with corn yields advanced at a faster rate due to improvement of the genetics of corn along with biotechnology and practices in management. The following chart shows the U.S. corn yield, 10-year history and trend as stated by the National Corn Grower's Association.
Source: NCGA (2008)
The National Corn Growers Association relates that demand categories for corn "such as livestock production and exports have shown limited future growth- meaning that increased corn supplies will result in more corn available for biofuels production." (NCGA, 2008) The demand in the livestock and poultry sector for corn is stated to have been "relatively flat in the last 10 marketing years." (NCGA, 2008) Additionally, it is stated that the raw field corn fed top livestock is forecast to "decline slightly as more corn is displaced by distiller grains, a co-product of ethanol production." (NCGA, 2008) Also flat ass been the "amount of corn used for human food processing...and corn exports have trended up only slightly." (NCGA, 2008) The following chart shows the ethanol use vs. other corn uses as stated by the National Corn Growers Association.
Source: NCGA (2008)
IV. HUMAN CONSUMPTION FACTS
The National Corn Growers Association states that "Those who say ethanol production is taking food away from humans forget that there are two types of corn growth in the United States. Ethanol is made from field corn, a grain that humans cannot digest in its raw form. It must go through some form of processing first. The corn that humans eat as a vegetable is sweet corn. Some 99% of all corn acres in the U.S. are used to grow field corn." (NCGA, 2008) A mere 1.3% of the corn crop in 2007.08 was used for cereals and approximately 8% of total corn use is accounted for a human food uses. The fact is that "the overwhelming majority of U.S. corn - including exports - is used to feed livestock, not humans." (NCGA, 2008) The following chart shows the U.S. corn usage for the crop year 2007/08.
Source: NCGA (2008)
It is further related by the NCGA, an important fact that the majority of the corn which the U.S. exports is for the purpose of livestock feed instead of food for humans and that the U.S. sent "33% of its corn exports to Japan" in 2006/07 which was used primarily for...
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