TSCRA participates in food and feed vs. fuel Texas Ag Forum

TSCRA Daily News Update, June 10, 2008

TSCRA participates in food and feed vs. fuel Texas Ag Forum

TSCRA representatives participated in a Texas Ag Forum hosted by Texas A&M University June 9 in Austin. The focus of the forum was the food and feed vs. fuel debate and speakers included university experts, farm and ranch group economists, and biofuels representatives.

Gregg Doud, chief economist for the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) and Thomas Elam, Farm Econ LLC, gave the livestock perspective.

The forum was a result of a report Texas A&M's Agricultural Food and Policy Center (AFPC) released in April that analyzed the effects of ethanol on Texas food and fuel. The report found that relaxing the federal renewable fuel standard (RFS) mandate for grain-based ethanol production did not result in significantly lower corn prices.

TSCRA and other livestock groups expressed concern with this report because the AFPC model did not take into account other federal ethanol market supports, such as the import tariff and blender's credit.

Upon the all-day forum's conclusion, attendees had a much better understanding of the severe impacts of ethanol mandates on the livestock industry.

AFPC economists plan to release an amended report with more-encompassing information in the near future.