Ron Knutson, Professor Emeritus, Texas A&M University, formerly a director of the Food and Agriculture Policy Center at Texas A&M, and formerly an administrator at USDA, is a widely respected agricultural economist. Here is what he told the House Agriculture Subcommittee on General Commodities and Risk Management in testimony last week:

I am concerned that excess investment in bioenergy could adversely affect our feed costs for poultry and hog producers, which would strengthen their case for demanding program benefits. It could also ruin our reputation as a reliable supplier for exports to countries that have come to depend on the United States for a supply of agricultural products at our urging. … From an economic perspective, the US price of bioenergy the price of the feedstocks used to produce it, and investments in bioenergy production can best be determined by the market relative to the price of oil. The danger of not operating in this manner will get the United States mired down in government agriculture and energy adjustment programs for years to come.