A coalition of environmental groups petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency about changing how the agency accounts for land use changes under the Renewable Fuel Standard. The National Corn Growers Association is opposed to that petition because they say land use in crop production is shrinking. South Dakota Corn Growers Association President Troy Knecht says it’s been proven growers are making better use of the land they farm and the acres are declining.
He says the contention by the environmental groups that more land is being farmed and going for biofuels rather than food isn’t true.
Knecht says due to depressed commodity prices, growers can’t make a profit by adding to the acres they’re farming using marginal land.
Statistics show that farmers planted fewer acres to corn in 2018 at 89.1 million. That compares to 93.5 million in 2007, which was the year the RFS was expanded.
