It's Time to Grow Beyond Oil

Bliss Baker, Vice President GreenField Ethanol

As the price of crude oil now routinely tops one hundred dollars per barrel and new record highs are set nearly every day, the search is on for a way to grow beyond oil. Increasingly, it is obvious that biofuels are the answer for consumers looking for affordable and accessible alternatives to fossil fuels.

In recent weeks, a little-publicized development hints at how we’ll soon be even better positioned to achieve the goal of growing and harvesting a larger percentage of the energy we consume.

On February 28th, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri revealed they had sequenced the corn genome. Corn production underpins much of the world’s food, feedstock, and ethanol fuel supply. As a consequence, this is a potentially landmark scientific breakthrough that could open the door to remarkable advances in corn yields.

Richard Wilson, head of Washington University’s research team argued that mapping the corn genome would soon help scientists, “find ways to improve breeding and subsequently increase crop yields and resistance to drought and disease.” Adds his colleague Ralph Quadrano, “That information can be used to look for genes that make corn more nutritious or more efficient for ethanol production.”

In short, this amounts to a rare triple win-win-win. It’s great news for those looking to increase the world’s food supply to meet growing future demand. It’s great news for livestock farmers who worry about the future cost of feedstock due, in part, to supply pressures. And it’s great news for those who
are eager to increase the supply of cheaper, greener corn-based ethanol as an alternative source of energy.

Indeed, the most up-to-date expert projections suggest a huge impact on our ability to increase the supply of corn. According to the Ontario-based FarmTechEnergy yields are expected to grow to 300 bushels per acre in the next ten to fifteen years.

In the 1980’s farmers could generate roughly 70 bushels of corn per acre. In the years since, that yield has doubled. Now, it is set to double once more.

Of course, unlocking the secrets of the corn genome is only the latest exciting advance for the agriculture and agri-food sector. In fact, over the past few years, there have been dramatic improvements in corn yields owing to an increased focus on biotechnological solutions.

A better understanding of the biology of corn will also allow scientists to breed strains that are even more drought resistant. This will not only permit the successful harvest of corn in previously non-arable areas. It will even further diminish irrigation demands using fresh water. Similarly, strains can be better
matched with existing non-tillage farming techniques to again increase yield, lower greenhouse gas emissions and lessen the impact on our environment.

Critics who suggest that rising demand for corn and other grains will create food shortages, large price increases or both fail to account for the impact that scientific advances are and will continue to make. The reality is that we have the ability to grow enough to meet all our needs: for food, for livestock and for fuel.

If necessity is the mother of invention, then the most expensive oil prices in history is surely all the motivation required. In the months and years ahead, scientists and farmers are coming together to meet not only our agriculture challenges but our energy needs as well.