Usset on local television

February 13, 2008

Grain Marketing Specialist Ed Usset on TPT's Almanac

Ed Usset was a featured guest on the Twin Cities Public Television show Almanac, discussing why wheat prices have skyrocketed.  As a Grain Marketing Specialist for the University of Minnesota, Usset provided unique insight for the rising grain prices.  Almanac co-hosts Mary Lahammer and Eric Eskola focused on the price of food raising 8% this year and the reasons behind it.

Ed answered the queriers of the stockpile of grain supplies being low and if it can turn around quickly, by saying “We are in the middle of a crop year…we need another crop to come along.”

Ed spoke about farmers needing to make a choice about what to crops to produce as several commodities have hit record prices, “There are only so many acres”.

Oats, barley, and other commodities need acres to be produced as well, he continued.  The need of corn for ethanol cuts into acres of production, which in turn cuts into the wheat production acres, and so on with soybeans and other crops.  This coupled with low production years for major commodity exporting countries has contributed to record commodity prices.

	Related Topics
	• Ed Usset's Bio • Twin Cities Public Television - Almanac