National Corn Growers Association

LAND USE AND SUSTAINABILITY

Updated 4/15/09

What is Indirect Land Use?

The mistaken belief that growing more corn means expanding acreage, displacing other crops or natural lands such as Amazon rainforest. Two T problems: bl
This is wrong One cannot quantify these alleged impacts

Corn Acreage History

Prior decade milestones

Source: USDA

Corn Production History

Prior decade milestones

Source: USDA

Corn Yield Trends

Source: Air Improvement Resource Inc.

NCGA Strategic Plan

111 Scientists Agree

The The ability to predict this alleged effect depends on using an economic model to predict worldwide carbon effects, and the outcomes are unusually sensitive to the assumptions made by the researchers conducting the model runs. In addition, dditi thi this fi field ld of f science i i is i in it its nascent t stage, is controversial in much of the scientific community community
-- Letter to Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger March 2, 2009

111 Scientists Agree

Adding Adding an iLUC [indirect land use change] penalty to biofuels will hold the sector accountable to decision-making far outside of its control (i.e. for decisions related to the supply chains of other products), and is unlikely to have any effect on protecting t ti forests f t or mitigating iti ti GHG [greenhouse [ h gas]emissions as a result of land management practices practices.
-- Letter to Calif. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger March 2, 2009

Study on Indirect Land Use

[Using [Using Informa and Argonne analyses], no new pasture or forest land should be converted in the U.S. or outside the U.S. to meet t 15 billi billion gallons ll of f corn ethanol in 2015, and the land use change emissions therefore are likely y zero.

Increasing g Sustainability
Insecticide/Herbicide Use Nutrient (Fertilizer) Use Soil Disruption and Erosion Water Use Monitoring and Measuring

Down on McCauleys Farm

White Cloud, Kansas Inp ts Per Acre Inputs Nitrogen g 200 lb 11,200 11 200 Pounds of Corn (200 bu)

Phosphorus 50 lb Potash Fuel P ti id Pesticides 50 lb 3 gal < 1 gal l 560 Gallons of Ethanol AND 3,500 3 500 Pounds of Distillers Grains

Pesticide Use Trends

Increasing adoption of hybrids with insectresistant and herbicide herbicide-tolerant tolerant traits have greatly reduced the need for synthetic applications of herbicides and insecticides.
Insecticide Pounds Per Acre Herbicide Pounds Per Acre

Source: USDA

Nutrient Use, 1980-2005

% Change in Pounds/Bushel

Source: The Fertilizer Institute

COMMERCIAL NITROGEN APPLIED PER BUSHEL OF CORN PRODUCED Pounds per Bushel 1980 - 2006 ACTUAL & TREND TO 2030
1.80

1.60

Actual Trend

1.40

1.20

1.00

0.80

0.60

0.40

Corn Growers Become More Efficient With Nitrogen

0.20

0.00 1980 1985 1990 1995 Source: Sou ce Blue, ue, Jo Johnson so & Associates, ssoc ates, Inc. c 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

Source: Blue, Johnson & Assoc. Inc.

Pound per Bushel 0.80

APPLIED PHOSPHATE PER BUSHEL OF CORN PRODUCED 1980 - 2006 ACTUAL & TREND TO 2030

0.70

Actual Trend

0.60

0.50

0.40

0.30

0.20

Corn Growers Become More Efficient With Phosphate

0.10

0.00 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

Source: Blue, Johnson & Associates, Inc.

Source: Blue, Johnson & Assoc. Inc.

Pounds per Bushel 1.00

APPLIED POTASH PER BUSHEL OF CORN PRODUCED 1980 - 2006 ACTUAL & TREND TO 2030

0.90 Actual 0 80 0.80 Trend

0.70

0.60

0.50

0.40

0.30

0.20

0.10

Corn Growers Become More Efficient With Potash

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030

0.00 Source: Blue, Johnson & Associates, Inc.

Source: Blue, Johnson & Assoc. Inc.

Soil Disruption

NOTE: DOES NOT INCLUDE OTHER CONSERVATION TILLAGE PRACTICES SUCH AS LOW-TILL, RIDGE-TILL, ETC.

Source: CTIC

Cropland Erosion
Tons Per Acre

Source: USDA

Water Usage for Corn

Nearly nine out of ten acres of corn req ire no require water other than natural rainfall

13% % Irrigated 13% 87% Non-Irrigated

Source: USDA

Water Usage for Corn

Source: Field to Market

Field to Market
Field to Market: The Keystone Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture g is a collaborative stakeholder g group p involving g producers, agribusinesses, food and retail companies, and conservation organizations striving to develop a supply chain system for agricultural sustainability sustainability. The primary objectives of Field to Market are: To identify criteria for sustainable agriculture that are open p to the full range g of agricultural g technology gy choices; ; To support the implementation of production systems that lead to broad performance improvements against these criteria. criteria

Member Organizations

First Report
Released 1/12/2009 Looked at environmental resource indicators in five areas:
water use and quality land use and biodiversity soil loss energy use climate impact

First Report
Covered four major crops:
corn cotton soybeans wheat

Corns Impacts, 1987-2007

Land Use
Amount of land to produce one bushel of corn

Soil Loss
Soil loss per bushel, above a tolerable level

Irrigation
Irrigation water use per bushel

Energy
Energy used to produce one bushel

Climate
Emissions per bushel

37% 69% 27% 37% 30%

Corns Impacts, 1987-2007

Corns Impacts, 1987-2007

Corns Impacts, 1987-2007

Corns Impacts, 1987-2007

Corns Impacts, 1987-2007

For More Information

www.ncga.com www.fieldtomarket.org