http://www.showmedaily.org/2010/04/farm-subsidies-are-not-an-energy-policy.html Advancing liberty with responsibility by promoting market solutions for Missouri public policy Thu, 24 May 2012 16:17:46 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://www.showmedaily.org/2010/04/farm-subsidies-are-not-an-energy-policy.html/comment-page-1#comment-6362 John Payne Thu, 29 Apr 2010 21:33:30 +0000 http://www.showmedaily.org/?p=17401#comment-6362 That would be question better directed at the authors of the study on ethanol's environmental impact instead of me as I'm just a middle man on that one, but I would expect not. With the subsidy, more total corn is grown than without it, which (all else being equal) requires more land. I realize that growing in the U.S. typically requires less land than elsewhere, but those gaps are much narrower now than they were in the past and probably wouldn't completely offset the impact of growing less corn in total. That would be question better directed at the authors of the study on ethanol’s environmental impact instead of me as I’m just a middle man on that one, but I would expect not. With the subsidy, more total corn is grown than without it, which (all else being equal) requires more land. I realize that growing in the U.S. typically requires less land than elsewhere, but those gaps are much narrower now than they were in the past and probably wouldn’t completely offset the impact of growing less corn in total.

]]> http://www.showmedaily.org/2010/04/farm-subsidies-are-not-an-energy-policy.html/comment-page-1#comment-6361 Eapen Thampy Thu, 29 Apr 2010 21:28:15 +0000 http://www.showmedaily.org/?p=17401#comment-6361 John, Here's the interesting question. US corn producers receive corn subsidies now to the tune of $9 billion (if my memory serves me correctly). This allows US agribusiness to flood the world market at a price that is less than the marginal cost of production for other international producers. If we end US corn subsidies, does the resulting increased production of corn internationally (as foreign producers are able to compete and develop more land for corn farming) trigger the environmental impacts that happen if ethanol subsidies exist? John,
Here’s the interesting question. US corn producers receive corn subsidies now to the tune of $9 billion (if my memory serves me correctly). This allows US agribusiness to flood the world market at a price that is less than the marginal cost of production for other international producers. If we end US corn subsidies, does the resulting increased production of corn internationally (as foreign producers are able to compete and develop more land for corn farming) trigger the environmental impacts that happen if ethanol subsidies exist?

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