Farm to Table...

Spring is here, and with it, planting season. It’s not news that the price of corn is higher than ever (thanks to ethanol, feeding tons of corn to cows in CAFOs, etcetera). As we head into the 2008 growing season, the Associated Press discussed how farmers planting decisions could affect our wallets. (Read the article, “Farmers’ Crop Choices May Affect Consumers” as printed in the Detroit News, HERE.)Last year was a good year; farmers planted fields and fields of corn, weather was good, and the harvest produced record amounts of corn. This year, farmers and industry experts alike don’t expect a repeat. The economic lesson in a nutshell: if farmers plant as much corn as they can, prices may stabilize (for reference, they’re currently at $5 a bushel, a record high). But, if farmers plant soybeans (a good thing—they’re rotating crops which helps the soil) or if we have a bad season, the price for corn could go even higher. Corn has a ripple effect on the economy. Three-quarters of the operating costs for poulty, beef, and pork companies is corn feed. The one constant: land. (And that bad weather or a bummer crop is bound to happen eventually, and then what?)So, the question going into the 2008 season: how high can corn prices go? And, are we getting too dependent on the little yellow kernel? (Grass fed beef anyone?)

Photo from It's a Green, Green World blog’s rant about corn.