"Does anybody have a handle on how much farm tractor, truck, train fuel is expended to get a gallon of ethanol into someones gas tank?"
read post #6
Brazil produces ethanol for a buck a gallon.
And Brazil no longer IMPORTS ANY FOREIGN OIL!
Do you understand that America is not Brazil? LOL!
Unanswered is does Brazil have any domestic oil to "prime the pump" of ethanol production?
Producing feul for a buck a gallon is a vague stat at best given the unknown cost of labor/capital in Brazil.
Someone can make a fortune buying it in Brazil and selling it here.
Wrong. It depends on the current world price of sugar. When sugar is up Brazil imports oil to offset the increased demand of sugar. when the price is down they produce ethanol.
Also you're making the mistake of comparing ethanol from sugar to ethanol from corn or other material. It's way easier and cheaper to produce ethanol from sugar cane then corn.