This data is only a premise to comments that follow...
1991 U.S. corn (grain) harvest = 9.1 x 10 ^ 9 bushels
use bushels %
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feed 4.9 x 10 ^ 9 54%
export 1.6 x 10 ^ 9 18%
processed 1.4 x 10 ^ 9 16%
seed 181 x 10 ^ 6 0.2%
carry-over 1.1 x 10 ^ 9 12%
1991 processed corn total = 1.4 x 10 ^ 9 bushels
use bushels (x 10^6)
------------------------------------------------
HFCS 410
Glucose/Dextrose 215
Starch 240
Fuel Alcohol 410
Beverage Alcohol 83
Cereal/corn food 117
products
One result of the subsidised "cheap food"in the U.S. is that
non-food utilization of crops is becoming more and more economically viable.
Back in the 30's, there was powerful contingent of ag.scientists/ business
men/ farmers that I believe were called the "chemurgists". They pushed the
development of non-food utilization of agricultural crops. They felt that
this was the best way to handle over production of commodity crops...
They wanted to emphasize ag. biomass derived chemicals as
feed stocks for the rapidly expanding U.S. synthetics industries. They
were also concerned about preserving domestic energy self-sufficiency...
They were against price supports because they wanted commidity crops to
be cheap enough for profitable non-food utilization.
Well... my understanding is that the petroleum lobby mounted a massive
campaign, emphasizing that the "chemurgists" were in favor of low crop
prices, and were able to squash a growing American interest in expanded
non-food domestic utilization of crops... U.S. agricultural policy
then shifted toward an emphasis on export and price-supports... which
has lined the pockets of the petrochemical industries ever since...
What has been the result of U.S. export/price support oriented ag. policy ?
low crop prices !! So perhaps we have come full circle...
As we now consider dismantling our export/price support oriented system we
should consider carefully the future of non-food utilization of U.S. crops ...
Perhaps we should get out our history books and read more about the
"chemurgists". Any realistic vision of sustainable agriculture needs to
include a planned role for non-food crop utilization with careful
consideration of the social, economic and ecological resource rammifications
of non-food utilization of crops.
I am interested in any crop utilization data such as the corn data above.
Please comment on what you feel are the rammifications of non-food
utilization of crops... How does non-food utilization fit into your vision
of sust. agriculture ?
Joel Gruver
Soil Science, Oregon State
gruverj@css.orst.edu