You forgot the third option which is what most of land's productive output is used for nowadays -- industrial feedstocks. If we cut back on that, we'd have alot more for both food and fuel.
Z On Tue, Feb 26, 2008 at 3:54 PM, John Mullan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > As many of us know, the earth's ability to supply resources for 6 > billion people has reached it's limit. Now it's which end use these > resources are assigned. Food or fuel? More of one means less of the > other. We are in decline. > > > > > Keith Addison wrote: > > Brownfield: Ag News of America > > > > Consumers can and will pay more for food > > Monday, February 25, 2008, 3:12 PM > > > > by Peter Shinn > > > > For the past 11 years, the American Farm Bureau Federation has > > celebrated the fact that Americans generally pay around 10% of their > > total income for food, the lowest total of any nation on earth, with > > an event called "Food Checkout Day." It's typically held in the first > > week of February to symbolize the number of days the average American > > has to work in order to earn enough money to pay for their food bill. > > But due to a wide range of factors, it looks like that date may have > > to be pushed back next year. > > > > In fact, U.S. consumers have enjoyed steady to declining food prices, > > at least in real terms, for many years. That's according to Bill > > Lapp, President of Advanced Economic Solutions, who says those good > > times for American food consumers are over, most likely forever. > > > > Lapp, the former leading economist for ConAgra, told Brownfield bread > > prices rose over 10% in 2007 and are likely to do at least that again > > this year. He added other food prices will also head higher as food > > manufacturers increasingly pass on the costs of high commodities to > > consumers. The good news, Lapp said, is that most U.S. consumers can > > afford to pay up, even if they won't have much choice in the matter. > > > > "I think consumers are more prepared than we realize to accept higher > > prices on food and I think that's part of our future," Lapp > > predicted. "It's largely been set in stone for us already." > > > > "Set in stone" because the factors that have driven ag commodity > > prices sharply higher since August of 2006 haven't changed. And > > according to Lapp, who spoke Friday at USDA's Ag Outlook Forum, those > > factors are manifold. > > > > "The risk of weather and a 5% increase in world coarse grain demand > > and still strong global economic growth and [biofuels] mandates from > > the government all suggest," Lapp said, "that the bonfire that we've > > started is still going strong." > > > > All that, Lapp emphasized, makes robust U.S. crop production this > > year critically important. He called the consequences of a potential > > 10% cut in this year's corn crop due to drought "scary." And he said > > it may be a number of years before technological advances that > > improve yields boost crop production enough to generate surpluses in > > the face of the strong demand factors he listed. > > > > "There's a lot of things in the pipeline - some of the new varieties > > and their resistance to drought have really benefited the industry," > > Lapp pointed out. "But it's going to take a while and the first thing > > we have to do is attract more acreage into production and eventually > > we can have those yields," he added. "And again, of course, we're > > always vulnerable on a year-to-year basis from weather-caused yield > > declines." > > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Biofuel mailing list > > Biofuel@sustainablelists.org > > http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel > > > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > > > Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 > messages): > > http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > Biofuel mailing list > Biofuel@sustainablelists.org > http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel > > Biofuel at Journey to Forever: > http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > > Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): > http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/ > _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/sustainablelorgbiofuel Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (70,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
