Robust demand for ethanol and feeble spring weather are expected to keep corn prices high over the next few months, despite of the fact the government has estimated that this year’s corn crop could be the largest since 1944. Encouraged by a booming demand for corn-derived ethanol, corn farmers across the nation are likely to plant 90.5 million acres of corn this year, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Planting Intentions report. The final corn harvest could amount to the largest on record, predicted the National Corn Growers Association. The significantly considerable shift could produce the largest ever corn crop, that would in turn affect US and global agriculture industries. However, the expansion of the corn-growing area comes at the expense of soybean, which is also grown in the heartland states of the corn-belt and it is also likely to affect the cotton-growing areas of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. The forecast topped earlier USDA estimates, which anticipated that around 87 million acres of corn would be planted. Analysts are of the view that farmers acted in response to increased demand fueled by growing production of ethanol, a corn-based fuel additive. Ethanol demand has doubled corn prices in the last year, with prices rising above $4 a bushel in some futures markets. On the other hand, production of soybeans is likely to shrink as farmers are increasingly switching over to corn. Nationwide, farmers are estimated to plant around 67.1 million acres of soybeans, down 11 percent from 75.5 million acres last year and the smallest crop since 1996. In addition to it, cotton plantation in the US is expected to slip to its lowest level since 1989. The significant shift in strategy of US farmers might bring the food-versus-fuel debate further into spotlight, as more arable land in the US is now used for fuel crops than for food. At the same time, global food requirement is growing following increased wealth and rising populations. Agricultural experts have argued that the decrease in soybean crop could lead to declining stockpiles, which would push up prices and result in livestock farmers paying more for animal feed made from soybeans. Moreover, this altered equation would definitely pressurize Brazilian and Argentine soybean farmers to increase production to bridge the gap in export markets, created by US.