One need look no further than the poultry markets to see the latest casualties due to the government subsidized alternative energy world. Such subsidies of corn to produce ethanol have dramatically increased the price of corn used for food. The number one crop used to raise chickens is corn. The net result is a devastated chicken industry on the verge of collapse. And while there are many other devastating effects of ethanol subsidies, just consider what is happening in poultry.
Pilgrim’s Pride, one of the nation’s largest poultry producers traded as high as $29.59 in the past year, currently trades at .92 a share. Tyson Foods, another large producer of poultry traded at $19.50 a share in the past year, now trades at $6.59. Other poultry producers are suffering similar fates. Context and consequences are rarely put into perspective by print or televised media.
The good news for government planners is the demise of chicken houses throughout North Carolina, never mind the loss of jobs. You can read many of the damaging effects of ethanol production here. The left should seriously reconsider using corn as a food rather than a fuel.
