Robin Carnahan: “things are happening fast in the value- added agriculture industry, and I'm pleased that Missouri is leading the way in…”

“things are happening fast in the value- added agriculture industry, and I'm pleased that Missouri is leading the way in establishing innovative, value-added enterprises that will help our farm economy prosper. By encouraging new economic opportunities that add value to crops, we can help improve the economic stability of our family farms. While value-added agriculture can take many forms, a prime example is ethanol production. Increased ethanol production is not only exciting because it can be farmer-owned and farmer-driven, but because it will create a cleaner-burning fuel that stands to improve air quality. Ethanol production has become increasingly important as cities across the nation strive to fight smog and meet federal clean air standards. Hundreds of Missouri gas stations in the St. Louis area have begun dispensing reformulated gasoline, a move that will help boost demand for ethanol. With ethanol we also have greater energy security because we are replacing oil imports with domestic sources of renewable energy. Additional ethanol production will help provide a consistent demand for corn, which should help to improve corn prices and put more money in growers' pockets. Now more than five percent of our domestic corn production, or 550 million bushels of corn, is used every year to produce ethanol. That's especially important in times such as these when our farmers are facing critically low commodity prices.…”