Ethanol Industry Not Fueling Cropland Expansio
Contact: Joshua Morby - 414.344.1733
MILWAUKEE – A major study of land-use patterns released this week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture puts to rest a common misconception about ethanol and cropland expansion.
The USDA study shows that total cropland decreased by 34 million acres from 2002 to 2007, the lowest level since the USDA first began tracking land use 66 years ago. In fact, land returned to forest and grasslands actually increased during a period when ethanol production more than tripled.
“We’ve known all along that this was a common misconception touted by the food vs. fuel folks,” says Joshua Morby, executive director of the Wisconsin Bio Industry Alliance (WBIA). “The ethanol industry does not have an adverse effect on cropland usage.”
The efficiency of American farmers have helped increase cropland yields, an advantage for producers as well as the ethanol industry. Increases in yields and efficiency on the farms means that the ethanol industry does not need to compete with the food industry for corn and other bio fuel materials.
“In fact, the study shows that urban development has the most significant effects on land conversion, not corn produced for the ethanol industry,” says Morby.
Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota comprise the USDA’s Lake States in the study and have cropland acreage above average when compared to the rest of the nation. Of the 122.1 million acres of land, 33.2 percent (40.6 million acres) are cropland, compared to 41.6 percent in forestland (50.8 million acres) and 10 percent (16.4 million acres) in grassland/pastureland. The remaining 22.9 million acres in the Lake States farm production region is used for other purposes.
The USDA report also shows significant increases in forestland, grassland and rangeland during the five-year period, refuting the claim that farmers are putting more land into production due to ethanol demands. The study reports that the estimated acreage of grassland pasture and range increased by 27 million acres (almost 5 percent) between 2002 and 2007, while forest-use land increased 20 million acres (3 percent) from 2002 to 2007.
The complete USDA study can be accessed here.
The Wisconsin Bio Industry Alliance is a diverse group of businesses, environmental groups and statewide and local organizations that have come together to build both public and legislative awareness of the Bio Industry in Wisconsin.
For more information about the Alliance, or to find out how to join, please visit our website: http://www.wisconsinbioindustry.com.
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