Ag chair presents his vision on biofuels

House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson (D-Minn.), along with two members of Congress from South Dakota, Rep. Stephanie Herseth (D) and Sen. John Thune (R), participated in the annual South Dakota Corn Growers convention on Saturday.

Naturally, a big part of the convention’s focus was on ethanol.

Here is the kernel of the Congressfolks’ remarks, as reported by the Argus Leader:

Extending the ethanol bonanza South Dakota has enjoyed to other regions of the country where ethanol can be made from feedstocks other than corn is a major goal for new farm legislation, Peterson said.

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“We have to develop the biomass feedstocks,” he said. That should not adversely affect the corn-based ethanol industry here, Thune said.

“Corn ethanol is fine,” he said. The challenge for Congress: “Don’t screw it up.”

If that is Congress’s vision, don’t expect any major legislative changes that would threaten to unseat King Corn as the main ethanol feedstock in the heartland. Switchgrass? That’s fine for Vermont …