Strain touts alternative fuels as major force in La. farming
by Tom Bonnette - The Town Talk (excerpt)

With some crop prices reaching record heights and poised to go higher with the rising demand of alternative fuels, the future of farming is bright, new Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain said Wednesday at the annual Louisiana Agricultural Technology & Management Conference.

Strain, who succeeded Bob Odom as commissioner after the 28-year incumbent withdrew from last November's runoff election, spoke to more than 200 agribusiness professionals who attended the LATMC meeting at the Alexander Fulton Hotel and Convention Center in Alexandria.

Strain's prediction of alternative fuels' blossoming importance in Louisiana's economy was outlined in the new commissioner's presentation titled "Projections for 2008 and Beyond."

"As renewable energy grows, you will see new crops and you will see land that has not been in production come back into production," he said.
Strain said alternative fuel production has been the driving force for jumps in corn prices, which have skyrocketed in recent months to around $5 a bushel. He said the market for corn is so tight that it wouldn't take much to raise a bushel to as much as $7 in the coming season.

"All it would take is one hiccup -- a drought or some other change," Strain said.