Personal Health Solutions from NaturalNews Replace your toxic laundry detergent with natural laundry soap that grows on trees! (Popular solution!) This top "underground" natural health newsletter brings you amazing new natural cures each month. Save $100! How to treat and cure over 100 health conditions using little-known health secrets How to halt type-2 diabetes with nutritional therapy - over 50% cure rate proven in studies End cravings with this guide to natural appetite suppressants (Download edition available.) How to blend nutritious meals in minutes with Adams' Superfood smoothie recipes (Delicious!) Breakthrough LED lighting technology prevents global warming, saves 90% on your lighting bill • Browse more health books... • Shop our eco-friendly products... All sales help fund NaturalNews operations.

Corn prices have gone up 86 percent in the last year alone, leaving the world's supply of the grain at the lowest levels since 1978, the USDA said. Despite the third-largest U.S. crop in history, increased demand is projected to cause global supplies to fall by more than 50 percent.

However, the surge in corn prices may cause farmers to plant more corn in the future instead of wheat, soybeans or cotton, which would drive up prices for those crops as previous supplies fall short. March-delivery corn futures rose by 5.3 percent, while wheat rose 5 percent and soybeans rose 6.3 percent.

"We have to have a lot more acres planted to corn or the current prices will look cheap," said Dale Schultz, a commodity specialist at Nebraska-based feedlot Gottsch Enterprises.

Last year's U.S. crop was 2 percent below USDA forecasts, as American farmers planted an average of 3.9 fewer acres of corn and nationwide droughts damaged crops. Simultaneously, worldwide consumption of the grain for the year beginning Oct. 1, 2006, is predicted to exceed 725 million tons.

Rising corn prices have been largely spurred by record demand for the gasoline additive ethanol. Requests for corn-, wheat- and soybean-based ethanol could cause global corn use to rise by more than 1 billion bushels -- 47 percent -- in the coming year, according to USDA Chief Economist Keith Collins.

Increased demand and short supplies are projected to cause worldwide inventories of corn to fall below 87 million tons -- a 55 percent decrease since 2000, the USDA said.

###

Related Articles

Popular Topics: corn, ethanol, USDA, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Breast cancer, Prostate cancer, Heart disease, Depression, High cholesterol, Osteoporosis, Vaccines, Autism, ADHD, Infertility, Weight loss, Cancer, Alzheimer's, Trans fats, Acrylamides, Fluoride, Mercury	Take Action: Support NaturalNews.com Email this article to a friend Share this article on: NewsVine | digg | del.icio.us Permalink to this article: http://www.NaturalNews.com/021456.html Reprinting this article: Non-commercial OK, cite NaturalNews.com with clickable link. <a href = "http://www.NaturalNews.com/021456.html">Ethanol demand spikes U.S. corn prices</a>
Receive our Natural Health Newsletter for FREE Subscribe now (it's free!) to win. We randomly choose a subscriber each month to send $100 in eco-home products or a RealGoods.com gift certificate (our choice). Plus, you'll receive FREE news, articles and action alerts from NaturalNews.com editors and join over 800,000 monthly readers who report extraordinary health improvements after becoming a subscriber! Receive breaking news alerts on natural health solutions, renewable energy, the environment, global warming and more. Receive a free instant download of our $29 Secret Sources guide that reveals top sources for little-known health and diet solutions.	Your Email Address: Free Subscription Code: Enter the numbers you see: 100% free of charge. Unsubscribe anytime. Absolutely no spam. We respect your email privacy.
Recommended Special Report: Seven Words that can Change the World by Joseph R. Simonetta Read this special report now... "Seven Words That Can Change the World reveals the astonishing, simple truths that have the power to forever transform our world for the better while freeing our minds from the enslavement of limiting beliefs. This is not a text for the simple-minded; it is a guiding philosophy for the mindful, intelligent few who are wise enough to seek out -- and recognize -- the higher simplicities of truly purposeful living." - Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, editor of NaturalNews.com	More on NaturalNews.com: • Streaming Health Ranger Videos • CounterThink Cartoons • FREE Special Reports • Podcasts