| US corn reserves to fall to 15 year low. As your car slurps up the ethanol people are going hungry |
Rising demand for corn from ethanol producers is pushing U.S. reserves to the lowest point in 15 years, a trend that could lead to higher grain and food prices this year.
The Agriculture Department on Friday left its estimate for corn reserves unchanged from the previous month. The reserves are projected to fall to 675 million bushels in late August, when the harvest begins, or roughly 5 percent of all corn consumed in the United States. That would be the lowest surplus level since 1996.
The limited supply is chiefly because of increasing demand from ethanol makers, which rose 1 percent to 5 billion bushels. That's about 40 percent of the total crop.
Sounds like it's time to clear more land so we can plant more corn to use for ethanol so we can fight global warming!
Here's an idea, stop putting high fructose corn syrup in every damn thing.
Goddam got that right.
No, no, they call it "Corn Sugar" now, and the commercials say there's absolutely no difference between corn sugar and regular sugar and your body can't tell the difference!
Commercials would never lie, would they?
Goddam got that right.
No, no, they call it "Corn Sugar" now, and the commercials say there's absolutely no difference between corn sugar and regular sugar and your body can't tell the difference!
Commercials would never lie, would they?
My grandparents were corn/soybean farmers, so I know there were years when they were basically paid by the gov't to let their fields lie fallow. But as Libertarian as I lean, this is one area where I think government > free enterprise.
Farms of that acreage aren't something you fall into. He bought that farm 70 years ago and it's one of the few privately-owned farms in the area, as the surrounding ones have been gobbled up one by one to be run by huge megafarm conglomerates. Maybe a corporation can afford to have a bad couple of years, but a farmer can't.
So although I think that ethanol-as-fuel is a horrible zero-sum idea, I support in principle the government propping up farmers in the best farmland in the world. North America from Iowa to Ohio was a prehistoric sea, and that sediment makes for great soil. We don't have fire ants or termites or months of 120 degree weather.
Sucks to be poor in africa, though. I remember the pictures of a 'typical family's weekly food budget' and the one from Ethinopia was basically a couple big sacks of beans and rice, maybe some corn. Their weekly family food budget was what I'll spend to see a single movie, possibly starring Adam Sandler. And now their food bill will double to an Adam Sandler/Rob Schneider double-feature.
Farms of that acreage aren't something you fall into. He bought that farm 70 years ago and it's one of the few privately-owned farms in the area, as the surrounding ones have been gobbled up one by one to be run by huge megafarm conglomerates. Maybe a corporation can afford to have a bad couple of years, but a farmer can't.
So although I think that ethanol-as-fuel is a horrible zero-sum idea, I support in principle the government propping up farmers in the best farmland in the world. North America from Iowa to Ohio was a prehistoric sea, and that sediment makes for great soil. We don't have fire ants or termites or months of 120 degree weather.
Sucks to be poor in africa, though. I remember the pictures of a 'typical family's weekly food budget' and the one from Ethinopia was basically a couple big sacks of beans and rice, maybe some corn. Their weekly family food budget was what I'll spend to see a single movie, possibly starring Adam Sandler. And now their food bill will double to an Adam Sandler/Rob Schneider double-feature.
People do not eat the corn that is used to make ethanol. It tastes terrible. That type of corn is used to feed livestock, and the by product from ethanol plants is still a very, very good feed. Please for the love of god repeat after me, "I eat sweet corn - I do not eat field corn - cattle and pigs eat field corn".
But then how will all those poor but honest corn farmers make a poor but honest living?
Though its been said already, it is worth repeating.
Once the corn is used to make ethanol, it is fed to cattle.
It was cattle feed before the ethanol industy got big, it is cattle feed after the ethanol industry is done with it.
Ethanol is still crapy fuel, but better than MTBE.
Corn reserves at 15 year low due to exportation. Exporting is good. There is no lack of affordable food in the US.
Once the corn is used to make ethanol, it is fed to cattle.
It was cattle feed before the ethanol industy got big, it is cattle feed after the ethanol industry is done with it.
Ethanol is still crapy fuel, but better than MTBE.
Corn reserves at 15 year low due to exportation. Exporting is good. There is no lack of affordable food in the US.
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