To the editor:

As a corn farmer in Douglas County, I’m proud to say that the U.S. farmer produced more corn in 2007 than ever before in history, meeting expanding domestic needs and exporting a record number of bushels.

Ethanol has been accused lately for increasing food prices. Actual food inflation this year is estimated to be only 5 percent in the United States, even though many raw ingredients used to produce food have doubled in price, proving the efficiency of our food chain.

Agriculture prices and overall food prices are higher due to growth in foreign food and fuel demand in emerging markets, higher energy prices, bad weather, low productivity in parts of the world, export restrictions and the weak U.S. dollar. Preventing the use of biotech crops by foreign governments has slowed the growth of global food production.

Crude oil at over $110 a barrel is increasing the cost of everything we buy, especially fuel. Take away ethanol, and gasoline prices would be even higher, some estimate by at least $1.10 a gallon.

Ethanol is part of the solution, not the problem.

Pat Ross,

Lawrence