corn availability

Rumors have been circulating through the media that with the expanded ethanol market, the United States may run out of corn. In previous years, the U.S. corn industry has had an abundance of corn and have traditionally had surplus corn every year. In fact, in 2008-09, Michigan had a surplus of 38 million bushels.

In order to ensure enough corn is produced, corn growers in Michigan planted 2.3 million acres of corn this year. This represents a decrease of 500,000 acres from last year.

Even as corn demand continues to increase, the following chart illustrates that corn supply is also steadily increasing. With the advancements in production techniques and biotechnology, corn farmers are able to produce additional yield on less acres.

For more information on corn availability, click here.