In The News: All Corned Out

The United States' mind-blowing surplus of corn -- largely encouraged by the government for ethanol production -- was recently touched upon in this year's superb documentary King Corn.

Now, The New York Times' Andrew Martin takes this issue one step further and reveals the latest crop battle: food vs. fuel.

In fact, this might very well explain the reason behind the recent rising prices of everyday staples like milk, carrots, and broccoli.

"[Food manufacturers and livestock farmers] seethe at government mandates for ethanol production. The ethanol boom, they contend, is raising corn prices, driving up the cost of producing dairy products and meat, and causing farmers to plant so much corn as to crowd out other crops," writes Martin.

Certainly an eye-opening (and anger-inducing) read.