[Rhodes22-list] Energy - While You Were Sleeping

[Brad Haslett]

Rummy,

You're from the Midwest, same as me, and should remember that the CRP
program (land bank) was established to take marginal (meaning erodible) land
out of production.  Yes, part of the idea was to cut down on the
overproduction of crops but the bigger goal was to protect the watershed.
Corn is a greedy plant and corn on corn is an input intensive process.
Ethanol has a place in the energy mix, especially as an oxygenate for
gasoline. But, no matter how much lipstick you put on this pig, it is still
pork, a huge transfer of wealth all based on the myth of good energy
policy.  You mentioned bio-diesel which is a completely different product.
Soybean and rapeseed bio-diesel certainly gets my vote and could be a boon
for farmers.  Bio-diesel can compete at $3 per gallon without a subsidy and
since soybeans are a legume, are much less input demanding on the soil.  If
the energy bill makes it through the House with the new CAFE standards
intact, you'll see diesel cars make a comeback.  I'll buy one and start
singing the bean theme song.

Beans, beans, good for the heart!

The more you eat, the more you ..............

You get the idea.

Brad



On 6/22/07, R22RumRunner at aol.com <R22RumRunner at aol.com> wrote:
>
> Brad,
> The price for corn won't take that big of a jump. Fields that were
> previously in the "land Bank" will now come out of retirement and be used
> for  raising
> more corn. The land bank paid farmers for not planting anything on their
> land. It was a way to control commodity prices which fell dramatically
> because  of
> the excess production due to more efficient farming methods. I doubt that
> corn prices will rise to much because it still is the feed of choice for
> dairy
> farmers who grow most of what they use. Ethanol plants are popping up all
> over
> in Wisconsin and area farmers are being encouraged to grow corn to supply
> them.  Many of the tractors used to plow the fields are now using bio
> diesel
> which is  also becoming more readily available through the farmers
> cooperatives.
> Sounds  like ethenol might actually be more green friendly than one would
> think.
> In the old days, if farmers got forty of fifty bushels of corn per acre,
> that was considered the norm. Today they are getting 100 bushels or more
> per
> acre. Yes, corn prices on the market are rising, but that will also give
> farmers
> incentives to grow more which will balance out the supply and demand.
> Now if we can only get the government to quit adding 15% gasoline to the
> ethanol, I might stop drinking rum and make the switch to 180
> proof  alcohol.
>
> Rummy
>
>
>
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