The proposal marked the first time EPA has lowered the overall ethanol-blending requirement from the prior year's target.

Corn prices were on a rocket with ethanol boosters for several years, but that’s in the past now, said Dan Basse, AgResource Company, in August remarks to cattle feeders in Omaha and in Garden City, Kan.

The National Turkey Federation welcomed Wednesday afternoon’s House Energy and Commerce Committee’s opening round of hearings to discuss the Renewable Fuel Standard.

The Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) Reform Act would help ease concerns created by the ethanol mandate and protect consumers, energy producers, livestock and poultry producers, food manufacturers, retailers and the U.S. economy.

A coalition of livestock, poultry and dairy organizations expressed extreme disappointment with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s denial in the wake of the worst drought in more than half a century of requests that it waive a federal law that requires corn to be turned into ethanol for gasoline.

Compared with its August report, USDA reduced its current estimate for the 2012 world corn harvest by 8 million metric tons or almost 1 percent.

In a show of support for the Virginia governor, the National Chicken Council, National Turkey Federation, and the Virginia Poultry Federation offered their praise for McDonnell’s petition.