Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters today that recent reports that USDA is planning to buy sugar to turn it into ethanol were incorrect and premature.

Vilsack said that USDA is planning to put a sugar-to-ethanol program contained in the 2008 farm bill into place, but it is unclear whether it will be used.

That farm bill called for a sugar-to-ethanol program if sugar is in excess in the United States.