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A TIME cover story on corn and ethanol wrongly blames U.S. corn growers for causing deforestation in South America, the National Corn Growers Association stated in a letter to the editor. The magazine’s report, “The Clean Energy Myth” appears in the April 7 issue of the popular newsmagazine and uses research on land use that has been questioned by a number of researchers.

“Our bottom line as proud U.S. corn growers is simple: Corn ethanol is not only good for farmers, but good for the economy and the environment as a key part of a broader, more diversified solution to energy independence and security,” NCGA President Ron Litterer said in the letter. “And we are getting more efficient and more sustainable each season in corn and ethanol production.”

The article described the way forests in the Amazon River area are being replaced by soybean farms without looking at the toll of predatory timber interests in clearing the land originally, Litterer said. It also repeated common exaggerations about the impact of ethanol demand on food prices, despite the fact that a key USDA economist found little connection. “Higher corn prices pass through to retail prices at a rate less than 10 percent of the corn price change,” Litterer noted.

Click here for the complete NCGA letter.

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