Ethanol kills grain food market
Source:
http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=4318523 According to a Scientific American research article, The United States would have to convert 100% of it's land to farming Wheat and grain (not just farm land, but all land) to meet 80% of the county's demand for ethanol if 100% of USAmerica switched to the E85 standard. Well, the US is not doing that and some other countries simply can't do that, even though E85 and Ethanol are in more of a demand now than ever. This article is an example of the consequence we are seeing for increased Ethanol and E85 use as less wheat is being farmed to meet the corn's Ethanol demand. You have already seen the prices of milk and eggs rise as corn (used as feed to these animals) has become more expensive due to this alt-fuel demand. But, as it turns out, the pocket pain does not end there. (end my commentary) __________________________________________________ ________ Why You Will Pay More for Bread, Pasta Rising Demand for Wheat Worldwide Means Skyrocketing Bread and Pasta Prices for U.S. http://a.abcnews.com/images/WN/pd_bread_080220_ms.jpg Bakery owner Pam Weeks counts every pinch of flour and watches every penny. "It's just unbelievable how much the price of flour went up overnight β literally," said Weeks, who runs Levain Bakery in New York City. Related Stories * Wheat Hits Record on US Inventory Report * Wheat Prices Surge to All-Time High Top World News with Charles Gibson stories * AS SEEN ON TV: Elder Care Resources * Overwhelmed by Caring for Elders * McCain Denies NYT Report Just a few weeks ago, 50-pound bags of flour cost about $15. Today, they're $40. "You try to figure out ways to cope, but it's to the point now where we are going to have no choice. We're going to have to raise prices," she said. Blame it on the price of wheat. Demand for alternative energy has farmers planting less wheat and more corn, the key ingredient of ethanol. According to the USDA, since 1997, the amount of farmland dedicated to planting wheat has dropped from 70.4 million acres to 60.4 million, while corn acreage has risen from 79.5 million to 99.6 million. Add to that the growing appetite for wheat from developing countries, and the supply is strained. U.S. wheat stockpiles have hit a 60-year low, and wheat prices have never been higher, which means pasta prices have doubled. And that loaf of bread will cost you an extra 20 cents. Economists say food inflation is as high as it has been in nearly 15 years. The price spike is being felt across the globe. In Italy, the cost of pasta is spiraling β up 20 percent since September. Malaysia no longer allows anyone to take flour out of the country. And in Pakistan, they now stockpile wheat and use their military to guard flour mills. "As long as this strong foreign demand continues β as long as the demand for ethanol continues very rapidly ... there just doesn't seem to be any end in sight," said Vic Lespinasse, a grain analyst with Illinois Grain. This puts wheat farmers, like Joe Kejr of Kansas, in the unusual position of being in the driver's seat. "It's real exciting to see where prices are. Prices I haven't seen in my lifetime," Kejr said. With the world's hunger for ethanol changing the landscape of America, Weeks said she wonders at what price it will curb our appetite for wheat. |
Clearly too many people/acre.
|
In short, the appetite of your neightbor's flex-fuel SUV for ethanol is directly competing with your own appetite for food. I wonder which biofuel consumer will win out?
|
Doesn't this article also imply that Ethanol will never really get cheaper in price due to the amount of corn production needed?
|
I always said it was a bad idea to use food as fuel for your car...Honestly, electric is the way to go. People just don't believe it.
|
^---- I'm with you 100%. Even if they got the Water powered car to work, it's still too many moving parts, too much repair cost, and the hydrogen bonding problem (hydrogen 'rust')
|
Electricity has always been my favorite mode of transportation. It's (relatively) quiet, it's efficient(er) and it's clean(er). The only problem so far has been the evolution of the battery. Right now, the best electric car I have seen is the Tesla roadster which is planned for debut pretty soon. It can manage the speed of a standard sedan or compact car (~125mph top speed). It can do 250 miles on one charge and gets really good acceleration. So that proves that it's possible, but it's very expensive to do, the Tesla roadster has an MSRP of $98,000 which is out of reach for most people, but that's mainly because it uses very expensive components, the least of which is not the batteries. Oil companies should spend less time making oil work and more time making batteries better.
|
Don't you love it when the "solution" creates more problems than the original.
|
Quote:
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:22 AM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Content Relevant URLs by vBSEO 3.5.2
All content copyright EcoModder.com