Groups oppose more ethanol subsidies
A coalition of agricultural organizations including NCBA, the American Meat Institute, and the National Meat Association sent a letter this week to House and Senate leaders urging them to oppose expansion of the Renewable Fuel Standard for grain-based ethanol, outlined in the Senate's version of the energy bill. The groups contend the current RFS, enacted in 2005 and set to expire in 2012, should be given time to work before the implementation of additional mandates. "Our producer-members will benefit from certainty and predictability in government energy policies," the letter states. "On the other hand, they will be adversely affected if the government induces a series of supply shocks through sudden and dramatic increases in the RFS." For more information,