Report: Ethanol raises cost of nutrition programs

[Baack]

WASHINGTON – Food stamps and child nutrition programs are expected to cost up to $900 million more this year because of increased ethanol use.
Higher use of the corn-based fuel additive accounted for about 10 percent to 15 percent of the rise in food prices between April 2007 and April 2008, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. That could mean the government will have to spend more on food programs for the needy during the current budget year, which ends Sept. 30. It estimated the additional cost at up to $900 million.
The CBO said other factors, such as skyrocketing energy costs, have had an even greater effect than ethanol on food prices. CBO economists estimate that increased costs for food programs overall due to higher food prices will be about $5.3 billion this budget year.
Ethanol's impact on future food prices is uncertain, the report says, because an increased supply of corn has the potential to eventually lower food prices.
Roughly one-quarter of corn grown in the United States is now used to produce ethanol and overall consumption of ethanol in the country hit a record high last year, exceeding 9 billion gallons, according to the CBO. It took nearly 3 billion bushels of corn to produce ethanol in the United States last year — an increase of almost a billion bushels over 2007.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090410/..._costs_ethanol

[RickG]

Ethanol productionn will continue to decrease . [LINK POSTED BY MEMBER] Only Members Can View This Truck Forum Link.

[5mouths2feed]

what a bunch of oil-controled media crap. FOOD grade crops are NOT used to make ethanol. The fist post is how they are able to accomplish the second post. Not only does ethanol NOT come from food grade crops, there is extensive work being done to utilize celulose waste products (switch grass, wood chips, etc.) for production. It has been long determined that celulose products yeild 13-1 return on fuel used to produce it as opposed to 2-1 from corn. However the quickest and easiest is always going to be corn. Just ask any Kentuckian. they've been making "ethanol" since the start of this country. LOL In Venezuala they use sugar cane since it is plentiful and easy to convert. Guess who they sell the oil they don't use too? Yes our oil company control country. As long as we allow our leaders to be swayed by "donations" from oil companies there will always be a battle against alternative fuels.

[M.Enterprises]

Originally Posted by 5mouths2feed

what a bunch of oil-controled media crap. FOOD grade crops are NOT used to make ethanol. The fist post is how they are able to accomplish the second post. Not only does ethanol NOT come from food grade crops, there is extensive work being done to utilize celulose waste products (switch grass, wood chips, etc.) for production. It has been long determined that celulose products yeild 13-1 return on fuel used to produce it as opposed to 2-1 from corn. However the quickest and easiest is always going to be corn. Just ask any Kentuckian. they've been making "ethanol" since the start of this country. LOL In Venezuala they use sugar cane since it is plentiful and easy to convert. Guess who they sell the oil they don't use too? Yes our oil company control country. As long as we allow our leaders to be swayed by "donations" from oil companies there will always be a battle against alternative fuels.

Hemp is the best source.

[Baack]

Originally Posted by 5mouths2feed

what a bunch of oil-controled media crap. FOOD grade crops are NOT used to make ethanol. The fist post is how they are able to accomplish the second post. Not only does ethanol NOT come from food grade crops, there is extensive work being done to utilize celulose waste products (switch grass, wood chips, etc.) for production. It has been long determined that celulose products yeild 13-1 return on fuel used to produce it as opposed to 2-1 from corn. However the quickest and easiest is always going to be corn. Just ask any Kentuckian. they've been making "ethanol" since the start of this country. LOL In Venezuala they use sugar cane since it is plentiful and easy to convert. Guess who they sell the oil they don't use too? Yes our oil company control country. As long as we allow our leaders to be swayed by "donations" from oil companies there will always be a battle against alternative fuels.

We feed our animals with this same corn
If our animal corn feed goes up
So does our meat
Ethanol cost all of us money in food cost and automobile repairs

[shredfit1]

Originally Posted by Baack

We feed our animals with this same corn
If our animal corn feed goes up
So does our meat
Ethanol cost all of us money in food cost and automobile repairs

Actually not really true, ethanol corn is genetically engineered for -OH production.

Beef cattle(the good stuff) comes from ranges in the Dakota's, Montana, Nebreaska ect... Feeder lot cattle get a lot of cain corn as do piggies. Poultry feed is often processed pellets which also includes soy.

I also don't buy the hurt you auto bull.

Don't get me wrong, the complaint I have with ethanol is the cost of it's production vs the energy gained by it's use.... but to say ethanol will increase food production costs is total BS. Heck, the gov't used to subsidize the 'over production' of corn for years letting it rot in bins, at least they have a use for it now.

[M.Enterprises]

Originally Posted by shredfit1

Actually not really true, ethanol corn is genetically engineered for -OH production.

Beef cattle(the good stuff) comes from ranges in the Dakota's, Montana, Nebreaska ect... Feeder lot cattle get a lot of cain corn as do piggies. Poultry feed is often processed pellets which also includes soy.

I also don't buy the hurt you auto bull.

Don't get me wrong, the complaint I have with ethanol is the cost of it's production vs the energy gained by it's use.... but to say ethanol will increase food production costs is total BS. Heck, the gov't used to subsidize the 'over production' of corn for years letting it rot in bins, at least they have a use for it now.

Central planning doesn't work. These are the same people that let the corn rot in bins, run the DMV, and "misplace" billions of dollars every year.

Whether it is a good idea will not be known until you lift the subsidies on other forms of energy and crops, as well as the ethenol itself. You also have to allow hemp farming, as this would be the market's first choice for ethenol.

[shredfit1]

Originally Posted by M.Enterprises

Central planning doesn't work. These are the same people that let the corn rot in bins, run the DMV, and "misplace" billions of dollars every year.

Whether it is a good idea will not be known until you lift the subsidies on other forms of energy and crops, as well as the ethanol itself. You also have to allow hemp farming, as this would be the market's first choice for ethanol.

Actually, I couldn't agree more. Ethanol production is also subsidized which currently offsets the high cost in it's production. (ie as I pointed out... The cost of producing ethanol vs. the energy gain from using said ethanol).

While I understand farming hemp is certainly viable, the infrastructure in this endeavor is currently not in place. Whereas corn as a commodity is strong and proven. (The tools, know-how, technology, and market are in place) Not so with hemp.

[M.Enterprises]

Originally Posted by shredfit1

Actually, I couldn't agree more. Ethanol production is also subsidized which currently offsets the high cost in it's production. (ie as I pointed out... The cost of producing ethanol vs. the energy gain from using said ethanol).

While I understand farming hemp is certainly viable, the infrastructure in this endeavor is currently not in place. Whereas corn as a commodity is strong and proven. (The tools, know-how, technology, and market are in place) Not so with hemp.

I think you may be underestimating the black market powers that be in the hemp market. Also, Canada has plenty of infrastructure for farming hemp, and they enjoy selling it to countries that think it's evil cousin will cause women to be raped.

Hemp would be FAR more efficient than corn, and as is the case in every form of government-run economic intervention, ditching the policies that limit it's use will IMMEDIATELY make hemp viable. In every case in human history, when you change the rules the results are immediate.

[M.Enterprises]

Originally Posted by Baack

We feed our animals with this same corn
If our animal corn feed goes up
So does our meat
Ethanol cost all of us money in food cost and automobile repairs

When you subsidize something, you get more of it. More ethanol means more corn, more corn means less of something else that would normally take it's place, less of that product means a higher cost for it and when we are talking farming...it hits EVERY crop with a domino effect.

Baack is right. Even if it is not the corn that chicken's actually eat, it is made on the same farms that could be growing something that actually is profitable without farmer's welfare.

The endgame is one where the only thing that is affordable is the stuff that is already paid for via income tax.