Will California Shuck Corn Ethanol?

“Why should I? I want cheap energy. Let the market figure it out.”

I agree with your contention “Why should I?” My point was/is that once a subsidy is put in place it is rarely if ever discontinued. The midwest corn farmers and those vested in the ethanol industry are not about to let their congressmen vote in favor of eliminating subsidizing this endeavor. All that must be done is provide a gentle reminder to said congressmen where their money comes from and where their votes come from, and business will be taken care of...

There have been remarkable changes in agricultural pursuits in central California in the past two years driven by ethanol.

About two years ago, areas with weaker soil types were pulling out producing fruit trees and planting corn. Corn was everywhere ... except at feed lots where it's meteoric rise in wholesale price made it cost prohibitive as a cattle feed. That triggered a tripling in the price of dry alfalfa (hay). Suddenly, raising cattle, beef or dairy, got a lot more expensive. The cost of a horse to keep teenage daughters out of mischief got a lot more expensive.

Looks like the ag lobby hit the fan and our state is reacting. Next step for the the Austrian and his green minions will be whaling and lamentations about plowing up rain forest in Brazil to plant soy and cane.

>Ethanol has a net energy loss of 8%<
who cares?
I don’t
ethanol has a LIQUID energy gain of ten to one.
which has the effect of cutting the ragheads
out of the deal, I realy don’t care how
much coal is used.

Of course you don't care, I knew that.

Ethanol uses more energy to produce than it delivers, is not cost effective and has to be subsidized by the government to make it sellable.

It will never cut the "ragheads" out of the deal, drilling for and pumping oil will.

Yes, coal fired electric cars are not clean green driving machines.

ethanol cuts the oil companies and the ragheads

Uh, no it doesn’t bub.
If you want to “cut” the ragheads out of the equation, drill for oil here.

What? With all due respect, Uh yeah it does?!

I hate shopping at BP and Exxon, I will not shop at Citgo because that is Chavez’s company even tho they have the lowest prices.

BTW, I am for both domestic drilling and for corn used for ethanol. I saw a windmill farm in Iowa and support that too (imprortant distinction—not in place of oil or ethanol, in addition).

IMHO, As long as the production and dollars stay in US. it is goo—for our national and the local farm economy. We need to produce our own energy—more the better thru the more sources the better—that way if we are attacked by terrorists, we have alternative sources—be they ethanol, wind, oil, solar, etc. Again, I support all sources including domestic oil drilling, by well, by plattorm off coast and with theh new shale horizontal drill technologies in the the Plains States like the Dakotas.

IMHO, We need to keep the dollars here in US—thru drilling and planting, and developing cost effective alternatives—

For the farmers, there is way to much crop price fluctuation. Until recently when ethanol was used for fuel additive, there was some concern that US was going to lose the ability to put food on it’s tables because farmers could not make a decent living—remember the farm auctions of the 80s and early 90s? Many farmer’s kids have been leaving the business. IMHO, Last thing US needs is to lose land allocated to agricultural production whether it is for food or fuel. It is US dollars staying in US. I think that is good. US doesn’t need its farmers going out of business.

Sadly most people don’t understand the importance of the Ag sector in this country—for national security, for food supply, and fuel development as well. Sadly farmers are at the mercy of the weather, too bad they are at the mercy of politicians as well.

The more self-sufficient we can become as a nation and as individuals, the better! That means domestic drilling, domestic crop production (for any and all purposes), and domestic energy production.

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