It's important to get this piece of the argument against ethanol correct.
Yes, and you didn't.
Ethanol proponents will say that the corn grown to produce ethanol is not corn that's fit for human consumption, so growing corn for fuel doesn't affect food prices. That's complete bullshit.
No, it isn't. It also doesn't or barely affects feed prices.
While it may be true that the corn grown for ethanol production isn't fit for human (or animal) consumption
It is absolutely fit for livestock feed, that was the traditional purpose for that crop in hog and beef producing states. Furthermore, due to bio-processing, the spent mash, after the alcohol is extracted is a superior feed to the unprocessed corn. They then sell it as livestock feed.
the land used to grow ethanol producing corn is land that would otherwise be used to grow food!
Wrong again honey.
Ever been to the Cornhusker State? Their corn is basically a hydroponic crop, where they plant hybrid feed corn in the almost STERILE SAND and irrigate the hell out of it with anhydrous ammonia etc as a fertilizer. The sand just holds up the corn-stalks. If they could grow anything else there, they would.
By reducing the amount of usable land to grow food, ethanol does in fact INCREASE food prices across the board for EVERYONE.
Really? I can buy 5 ears of sweet corn in Maine for a buck...How much cheaper can you expect it to be? Corn chips are two bucks a bag, but how do you explain the outrageous prices they are getting for potato chips?
Otherwise, you're probably right.
But they should be making booze out of the corn-squeezins and GIVING it to the terrorists.
Which is it? You can't have it both ways.
FYI, I grew up in Iowa. I lived on a farm. I worked on a farm. All my friends lived and worked on farms. There's a REASON Iowa Corn Farmers LOVE ethanol subsidies: IT RAISES CORN PRICES by reducing the amount of land Feed Corn is grown on.
You simply do not know what you're talking about.
As with all issues, it is more complicated than first glance. Free Republic is the best. I am so appreciative of the imput we get here. That said, I do not support corn or sugar subsidies.