"Because of the weather last year, we didn’t get the yields around here that they did in the western Corn Belt, so I don’t think we have that big a surplus in this area. And we’re late getting our corn planted this year, which won’t help 2016 yields. But I know there’s a real glut in some places like Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota. I think there would be some good opportunities in those states for some people to get back into livestock. When ethanol first came on the scene, a lot of people were worried about having enough corn for both food and fuel, but that doesn’t appear to be a problem."
Mike Morehouse, New Paris, IN
"I think eventually we’ll find a use for all of this corn somewhere, we always have. Ethanol’s been a key use of corn the last few years, but that seems to have leveled off. Here in this area our livestock sector has been increasing, so I think livestock expansion will use up a lot of it."
Jeff Lehman, Berne, IN
"With higher yields and more corn, we need to increase demand for corn. I think we need to look for ways to increase exports, and we need to raise the ‘blend wall’ for ethanol. I think it’s time to go to E-15."
Code McClure, Wabash, IN
"I think the livestock industry can fill a big part of that need. I think increasing exports is another key possibility."
Caton Howard, Urbana, IN
"That’s a tough question. I think finding new uses for such a mound of corn may be pretty hard to do. I don’t think farmers can take an attitude of ‘grow as much as we can and let somebody else worry about how to get rid of it.’ At some point we may have to consider growing something else. And I really don’t see going back to a reserve program or idling acres being a viable answer. With starving people in the world, we don’t want it to be $10. But we need to moderate our production somehow so we can make a living and pay for our land and machinery."
Tom Weaver, Rochester, IN
