| Rising oil prices have increased the need for renewable energy sources, which has sparked an increase in ethanol production. Farmers located in the western part of the Corn Belt, which includes eastern South Dakota and the surrounding area, have increased their corn acres and yields in order to meet ethanol demands. This has had an impact upon the area available for other regional crops, pasture, and wetlands. Farmers in the study area increased corn acres by 9,869,900 from 1972 to 2007. Some of the additional corn acres came from shifting land use from other crops such as wheat and oats, which have decreased for a combined 10,785,750 acres during the same period. Recently, additional acres have come from soybeans, which decreased 4,525,900 acres from 2006 to 2007. Other new corn land in the study area has come from Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands, pasturelands, and grasslands. Additionally, farmers' ability to adapt to historically marginal climates and the aid of federal crop insurance allowed the Corn Belt to expand to the north and west. Whether western Corn Belt farmers will be able to sustain the increase in corn acres will depend on government subsidies, advancements in new technologies, and the price of petroleum and corn. The research results demonstrate that western Corn Belt farmers have changed land use and land cover as a result of ethanol demands.;Key words: ethanol, cropland, Corn Belt, South Dakota... |
