Yesterday, U.S. Senator Charles Grassley sent a letter to C. Manly Molpus, Scott Faber’s boss at GMA, demanding that food companies lower their prices in response to falling commodities.  Grassley took issue with some of Faber’s comments, especially his public admission that anti-ethanol campaign was launched by GMA to “protect the bottom line of grocery manufacturers and processors.”

It’s not too often that US Senators call out lobbyists (to their new bosses), by name, especially for saying something so ill-advised.

Today, Sen. Grassley fired off an letter to GMA head C. Manly Molpus asking if food companies will lower their prices in response to falling commodities.  To see the letter, click here.

Click here to read this Consumerist.com post about food prices.

The Missing Cookie Campaign has been a huge success. Brooke Coleman has done interviews with: Fox Business News and radio interviews with: The Young Turks on XM Satellite Radio, KDWN, KTRH, KPNW, WTDY, WRUF, AgriTalk, Clear Channel in Omaha, KPAM and the CBS Radio Network.

More and more, experts on the subject are viewing algae as a likely source for jet fuel in the future.

DuPont is moving right along.

Here is a new story about Unilever opposing biofuels.

We’ve said it time and again, oil prices are what is driving commodity costs — not biofuels.  In fact, biofuels keep gasoline prices down.

Nestle Chairman Peter Brabeck-Letmathe says that rising oil prices force farmers to grow more corn for biofuels, which raises commodity prices. But he won’t admit that rising oil prices are responsible for making nearly every other aspect of producing food products more expensive.  The Chairman said:

“Most important, of course, is the oil price, because through oil you have an impact” on agricultural producers,” Brabeck said.

Too bad food companies won’t be honest with Americans about why their food costs more. Rising oil prices, not biofuels.

Here is an compelling story out of Washington State, where one concerned citizen is taking steps to see if she can take an environmental plight on Washington lakes, known as the plant milfoil, and make that pest into biofuels.  Good luck Alanna Mitchell.

Farmweek interviewsJohn Mizroch, the Department of Energy’s Acting Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.  Key quote:

“The current ethanol industry has grown remarkably fast, and has done well in offering ethanol as (a gasoline) oxygenate, as an alternative to fuel itself,” Mizroch told FarmWeek. “I don’t personally believe it has added significantly to the price of food commodities. I think our industry could sustain up to the limits of the RFS.”