Full Title: Future Patterns of U.S. Grains, Biofuels, and Livestock and Poultry Feeding
Author(s): Robert Wisner, David Anderson, Ronald Plain, Don Hofstrand, and Daniel O’Brien
Publisher(s): Institute for Feed Education & Research
Publication Date: June 1, 2012
Full Text: Download Resource
Description (excerpt):
Corn and soybeans are key inputs in animal agriculture’s processing of grain into human food. For most of the 1990s and early 2000s, supplies of both crops were ample and low-priced as the markets reacted to policies that were intended to in- crease use and prevent a build-up of carryover stocks. Extremely rapid growth in the use of corn for biofuels transformed corn from primarily a food and feed crop to a food, feed and fuel crop. Soybeans also became an energy crop through rapid growth in biodiesel production. This report outlines recent and probable future changes in the biofuels and crops sectors of U.S. and global agriculture. Developments in the biofuels and crops sectors are linked to recent changes in pat- terns of livestock and poultry production, and potential future directions for the animal agriculture and feed industries. Key requirements for future expansion and competitiveness are identified.