Burning Food in Cars – an ‘anti-human ethos’

Being here in dried up Nebraska, I’m feeling a coin toss is needed when it comes to so-called Bio-fuels. Much of the waste ends up feeding livestock that also feeds us. If we can get the good stuff out of that grain and such first, ok. Not like the prime stuff gets used for making ethanol and pre-cooking it would seem to me, better for the livestock.
Not understanding the wheat thing. Most of it gets harvested before it gets hot outside anyway. (June)
Seed oil being converted to bio-diesel should actually be a good way to keep it from ending up in a landfill. Cottonseed oil doesn’t take food out of peoples mouths and yes, hemp will grow anywhere. Hempoil burns super hot.
Ethanol sucks in 2 cycle motors. They just won’t warm up. Seems to shorten the life of these motors also.
I don’t mind people trying things if they work. Some may need some assistance to make it work right and should give up when it doesn’t but, there is a baby in that water. Don’t throw it all out.
(And for a giggle) When I meet a vegetarian I say “my food poops on your food”.

Al Gore on ethanol:
“One of the reasons I made that mistake is that I paid particular attention to the farmers in my home state of Tennessee, and I had a certain fondness for the farmers in the state of Iowa because I was about to run for President.”
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703572404575634753486416076.html

“Nothing illustrates the anti-human ethos of the Greens better than their support for “biofuels”.
Greens supporting biofuels to save the World from ‘evil’ fossil fuel and CO2 emissions. Is the same as campaigning for ‘Green” Mercury CFLs. While protesting about mercury contamination.
There’s been reports including an EU one which finds biofuels produce about the same or infact produce more CO2 emissions than fossil fuel. Soyabean oil was 4x higher with CO2 emissions.
So greens fail with their Gaia saving fantasyworld again.

*Sigh* I wish the anti-biofuel brigade would educate themselves…
FACT: The largest crop grown in the United States is… wait for it… TURF! That’s right, lawn. Pristine grass fields designed in the shape of dog legs for your golf courses, rectangles for your football fields, squares for your kids’ schools and patches for your backyard kingdom. Turf is the most managed, most watered, most polluted, most energy intensive and not to mention, most useless “crop” in the universe.
FACT: Existing corn ethanol processes maintain <70% of the protein content from the corn feedstock which is carried through as wet or dry distillage. The food value of the crop is not lost. As such, the whole, ‘food vs. fuel paradigm’ was a complete hoax – propagated by vested interests.
FACT: American GMO yellow dent corn does not feed people. American GMO yellow dent corn destined for export –also- does not feed people. This so-called ‘corn’, is purchased by global conglomerates for factory farms and the production of other products e.g. HFCS. Obviously we need more processed food, more pink slime, more Coca-Cola, more diabetes, obesity and heart disease on planet right?
FACT: US crops like corn, sugar, cotton et cetera, are grossly subsidised at the expense of the rest of the developing world. Go read up on how and why Cuba’s sugar industry was destroyed. Or why Mexican farmers have had to give up their livelihood – a livelihood that persisted for generations in the birthplace of corn.
FACT: People on this planet aren’t starving because there isn’t enough food. They’re starving because the distribution system is corrupt and because capitalism only works when somebody, somewhere, is being exploited. Do yourself a favor and watch Darwin’s Nightmare. I promise, henceforth, you will never look at a starving child in the same light again.
Club of Rome indeed.

Smokey says:
July 22, 2012 at 3:34 pm
Carl Brannen,
Your arguments seem dubious to me.
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He’s pretty well spot on Smokey. Unfortunately, I’m too busy to collate a bunch of links for you (I know you like that). I would suggest that you get a free subscription to Biofuels Digest and you will see the flip side of the coin – over time. You will be able to cut through the partisan sh!t and get to the truth.
There is no MTBE in the US anymore, so as CB points out, ethanol is indispensable.
I’m in a business that will compete with the ethanol industry for feedstocks so, as a competitor, I have to know the space, but I don’t have a vested interest in saying this.
Also, there are some really major developments in biofuels and specialty chemicals going on right now in the US. Sure, there are freeloaders, but there will be winners too.
Maybe the people whining about not getting food from the US because of this should get off their ar$e$ and vote for people who are competent enough to organize food production programs in their own countries.
Also, interestingly, the more green and holier than thou Green Democratic Fake Socialist Republic of Europe is actually too useless to make its own ethanol, and now has ETBE (the ethyl version of MTBE) in most of its gasoline/petrol. So they whinge and whine about the environment and CO2 while simultaneously shoving metric tons of this major pollutant into the environment.

Despite the recent headlines about the corn shortage, when one actually reads the USDA Corn crop report – you find out the truth is something less dire.
The truth is the early spring, adequate moisture – very favorable conditions, along with the 95.9 million acres planted (vs 91.9 and 88.2 for 2011 and 2010) – had led them to increase the projected yield from the 152.8 and 147.9 bushels/ac of 2010 and 2011, to 166 bu/ac in their Jun 2012 projection.
The lack of moisture in some parts of country thru July caused them to reduce that optimistic yield forecast to a more realistic 146 bushels/ac in their July report. The same report however noted that planted acres were actually larger yet – 96.4 million acres.
This week has seen rain across the Upper Midwest, and there is an expected break in the stationary high allowing cooler Canadian air in to the area. Moisture primarily, and more seasonal temps, will likely see the recent USDA downgrade overly strong.
Even with the current USDA estimate the corn crop is projected to be 12,720 million bushels, almost exactly the same as 2011 and 2010’s 12,358 and 12,447 respectively.
Corn used for ethanol was 5,021 mill/bu in 2010, 5,050 in 2011, and was originally projected at 5,450 for 2012. Current projection is 4,900 million bushels – 150 million bushels less than last year.
Simply put, as of today, even with the significant downgrade by the USDA – the US Corn crop will be larger than 2011 by nearly 400 million bushels.
How about that terrible old price increase? The USDA crop report shows avg Farm Price of $5.10 per bushel in 2010 and $6.10 to $6.30 per bushel for 2011. They projected a price of $4.20 to $5.00 for 2012, but with the downgrade expected the price to be $5.40 to $6.40.
In other words – even with the reduced production the price spike being touted in the press – is simply a reversion to the avg prices from LAST YEAR.
And the reality is with this weeks rain and cooler temps projected across much of the upper Midwest corn belt, those yields and acres harvested will very likely increase – increasing the yield and overall production.
These facts haven’t deterred the fear mongers – there are press reports like this one – about food shortages, and massive price increases, and calls for ending the ethanol mandate.
These practices are EXACTLY like the AGW alarmists using recent heat, drought, tornado’s and the like to whip up their scare-mongering. And the claims made by each are equally unsupported by the real facts.

Smokey at 4:34 , Smartly done! 🙂