NFU statement: Science magazine and renewable fuels  - 2009-10-28

National Farmers Union President Roger Johnson today issued the following statement in response to a piece in Science Magazine that calls into question the benefits of renewable fuels.

“America’s family farmers and ranchers produce the safest, most abundant food supply in the world and are well positioned to lead the nation to energy independence through the production of renewable fuels from the farm. To hold American agricultural producers accountable for the actions of other countries would jeopardize their ability to produce both food and fuel.

“Deforestation was occuring long before American biofuels were viable. For example, over the past five years, ethanol production has nearly doubled while at the same time deforestation in Brazil has been reduced by 50 percent. NFU believes additional analysis should be done to understand the full implications of the theory of indirect land use.”