Corn Growers Move to New York to Plug Ethanol

The National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), working closely with the New York Corn Growers Association, is in New York this week in an effort to dispel "myths and flawed reports about ethanol' and explore opportunities to develop the ethanol industry in the Empire State. Corn growers moved ahead in that effort in a face-to-face meeting with an author of one of those controversial reports, David Pimentel of Cornell University.

Corn growers met Tuesday with Cornell professors and the associate dean of agriculture. Key among the topics discussed was the controversial report recently released by Pimentel who, the NCGA says, used outdated and flawed data to reach conclusions about an energy imbalance in ethanol production.

"We explained our data to the Cornell researchers, and explained that independent research using more up-to-date information indicates that, in fact, 1.37 BTUs are produced from 1 BTU of input," said York, NE, farmer and NCGA Ethanol Marketing Committee Chairman Boyd Smith. "We also discussed the economics of ethanol production that Pimentel is apparently overlooking."

The corn growers also discussed ethanol research currently underway at Cornell, largely exploring processes that would make varying aspects of ethanol production more efficient as well as the rural economic development opportunities the ethanol industry could provide in New York. "The Cornell staff expressed an interest in renewable fuels and activities that can benefit the agricultural economy in New York, like building ethanol plants," Smith said.

They wrapped up the day's meetings at Cornell with a peer-to-peer meeting of Pimentel, Director of Energy Analysis John McClelland and consultant Mike Graboski, chemical engineering professor at the Colorado School of Mines. "It was an interesting and cordial," McClelland said of the meeting. "We discussed the large discrepancies in our numbers, and Dr. Pimentel asked to see our specific data." McClelland said he and Graboski planned to follow up with point-by-point responses to Pimentel.