Quote:
Originally Posted by WesternStarSCR
Here is my belief: My belief is that corn should be food, then feed, and then fuel. Am I misinformed on that? Seriousy, I think that makes sense, but I am willing to stand corrected... Is corn much more complicated in its uses and process by-products than this simplification?
Does ethanol negatively impact availablity, price, and quality of our nations food supply and the soil on where it is grown?
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I don't understand why so many people get caught up on the incidental edibility of the crop most commonly associated with ethanol production. If you put the exact same effort and land into growing an inedible grass for ethanol, would that bother you? Why is it a problem that the crop happens to be edible? Does it bother you to wash your car with water when you could drink water too? Today I'm going to use citric acid to clean some aluminum truss, does that bother you because citric acid is a food ingredient?
As has been discussed in other threads on the topic, corn ethanol production occurs side-by-side with animal feed production. The animal feed, various grades of de-starched and de-sugared corn meal and mash is rich in nutrients and protein, ships and stores and dispenses more easily than whole corn and helps keep the animals healthier than whole corn. That feed has become an important and massive part of the livestock supply chain, enough that
we can consider ethanol a byproduct of feed manufacture with equal emphasis.
It's not food or fuel, it's food
and fuel. In another thread I dissected how much money that saves every one of us annually,
net, after food costs are considered.