I really enjoyed getting to talk with our USDA Under Secretary for Rural Development, Tom Dorr, this evening. He was our keynote speaker at the CUTC.

He told corn growers and all the attendees that they’re doing a great job. He also said that there are challenges ahead like the recent Grocers Association attack on ethanol. He says that’s making it difficult to get the facts out to the media.

He points out that we’ve been through substantive increases in demand before like back in the early ’70’s with the Russian grain robbery that led to fears about escalating food prices. He said that no good deed goes unpunished and that we’ve had the good side of the cycle and now we’re going to have to suffer through the other side. He says it’s difficult to fight a well financed opponent that’s less inclined to deal with facts as opposed to dealing with emotion.

Here’s my interview with Sec. Dorr: cutc-08-dorr.mp3

You can use this link to download the audio file: Sec. Tom Dorr Interview (4 minutes)

Here’s Sec. Dorr’s Keynote Address: cutc-08-dorr-keynote.mp3

You can use this link to download the audio file: Sec. Dorr Keynote (24 minutes)

CUTC Photo Album