A study done by Texas A&M’s Agricultural and Food Policy Center concludes that corn prices have had little to do with rising food costs.
The report, “The Effects of Ethanol on Texas Food and Fuel,” also finds that relaxing the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) would not result in lower corn prices for livestock and poultry feeders.
According to the study, “important food items like bread, eggs, and milk have high prices that are largely unrelated to ethanol or corn prices, but correspond to fundamental supply/demand relationships in the world.” The study points to higher oil prices as the underlying force impacting consumer prices and agriculture. The report was issued in response to mounting questions about the impact of increased ethanol production on the Texas agriculture sector and overall economy.
National Corn Growers Association president Ron Litterer said, “The Texas A&M study dispels the food versus fuel debate. This study shows there are many forces creating increases in food costs and ethanol is not a major factor. Clearly, corn is meeting the demands for biofuels.”
The analysis also examined the potential effect of relaxing the RFS on corn prices and found that any action to relax the standard would not significantly reduce corn prices.
“This is due to the ethanol infrastructure already in place and the generally positive economics for the industry,” the study states. “The ethanol industry has grown in excess of the RFS, indicating that relaxing the standard would not cause a contraction in the industry.”
The analysis found that there are many important economic factors driving agricultural commodity markets and that higher energy costs are the fundamental drivers of changes in the agriculture industry.
The edition of “Fill up, Feel Good” features comments from Doug Robinson of the International Motor Sports Association; GM Racing program manager Doug Fehan; Corvette Racing team driver Johnny O’Connell; and Team Ethanol Indy Car Ryan Hunter-Reay.
Among the news reports was one from 
A BreakTime gas station in Fulton, Missouri sold E85 for 85 cents below unleaded during a grand opening event on Friday. Officials say E85 will sell for 20% below regular unleaded as a normal pricing. 
A pilot plant proposed by Green Plains Renewable Energy would use three byproducts from the company’s Shenandoah plant – waste water, waste carbon dioxide, and waste heat from dryers – as feedstock to grow algae. The algae would then be harvested and processed into biodiesel
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