I had to rush to the grocery store to pick up a few things for my daughter’s 11th birthday party, and I did what any busy Mom does when shopping for her family; convenience guided my choice. So, it shouldn’t have been a surprise when I hit the checkout lane and heard the pimpled teen check-out girl say, “$120.50.” How did this happen when I just came in to geta few snacks for some 11-year-olds?

Sure, there are some choices I can make throughout my day that could save on my “bottom line” - things like filling a mug of coffee from home, instead of doing the drive-thru Starbucks for the Grande Non-Fat Mocha with whipped cream for $4.60 (when a cup of coffee at home costs about six cents).

But, we’re talking about increasingly pricey things my family needs, such as bread (gotta love that peanut butter sandwich), eggs, milk and fruit. Increasingly, rising food and gas prices are forcing a cut back in all our Starbucks lifestyles.

What’s behind these rising prices? Even my purple-haired check-out girl quotes various ethanol-bashing headlines for the reason why everything is more expensive.

Ironic that the blame is solely on ethanol; there’s a finite source of fossil fuels and a growing web of political challenges from the overseas suppliers of that fuel.

We’ve got a Big Oil Hangover, and no hope of a remedy. A new Texas University study paints a different picture. Researchers there say what we’ve got is a type of ‘perfect storm’ where skyrocketing energy costs combined with a weakened dollar and overseas demand are coming together to boost our food prices. “Important food items like bread, eggs and milk have high prices now that are largely unrelated to ethanol or corn prices,” wrote the researchers.
Folks in India and China are increasingly becoming ‘middle class’ and can afford (and are demanding) more milk, bread and meat.
And since their currency value is rising while our dollar value is falling—well, they can afford to ‘java-up’.

But I still choose ethanol at the pump because I’m happy to think I’m supporting the Iowa corn farmers who labored in our muddy fields for 200 years, even through the bad times, to give me that choice.

I will also happily put that pork chop or steak on the table as well.
In the end, I’d rather pay homage to the Iowa farmers who give us these choices, rather than the oil barons in other nations who give me nothing but a good reason to keep my bicycle tires inflated…

Laurie Groves,
Public Relations Manager,
Iowa Farm Bureau