You want to tell me what I should be planting this year? Cause, here I was thinking we were able to plant whatever worked out best for us. Silly me.
"... get more farmers to grow grass, or wood in areas not suitable to growing grains.
With the cost of inputs these days, I would be really shocked if farmers were planting things that we not getting the best bang for the buck.
"So no food production problem."
This country does not have a 'food production problem'. That was my point to begin with. This country produces far more food than we can consume.
I do understand what you're saying, you are just not saying it with any tact or thought whatsoever. I have absolutely no problem with using ANY plant material, nor do I have a problem with methane. I think that we should develop every possible alternative to oil and gas. But we should be honest in the discussion. We do not have a food production problem.
I apologize if I came across less than tactful but yes we have a food production problem. Corn prices are going up and are going to continue to go up with the increased demand due to ethanol production for fuel. Methanol is the answer. It wont cut into corn production or increase demand for corn. Yes, farmers are going to plant whatever is going to get them the highest return. It may be corn, it may be non edible plant materials to supply methanol production. I doubt some farmer though is going to plant saw grass or such on prime farmland to fetch 1/50th the price he could get from corn or any other produce. No, some other farmer is going go find some scrabby land that nobody wants currently because its not suitable for corn or any other produce and will try to make a living supplying a methanol economy.