Growing corn for ethanol will require 10 million more acres

The USDA has said that American farmers will need to plant ten million more acres of corn if they want to provide enough biomass for domestic ethanol production. Keith Collins, the U.S. Agriculture Department's chief economist, said there will need to be 90 million acres of corn by 2010 if demand for ethanol reaches the expected levels and markets for exports and animal feed are to be maintained. Currently, less than 80 million acres of corn are planted each year. Collins also said corn prices should increase as demand for ethanol grows. Collins said there are about seven million acres idled in the Conservation Reserve Program that could be planted with corn or soybeans.

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[Source: Des Moines Register]