Ethanol on the Ropes?

[mmurphy]

All energy is subsidized. Nuclear, Wind, Solar, Bio and yes Oil. It takes a mighty big Navy to keep those middle east shipping lanes open. Without a doubt oil is the most subsidized energy on the planet. Until we find the perfect energy I guess this debate will go on forever.

It does almost look like a hopeless situation.... I do not know what way would be better.. Maybe we can drop subsidies on everything, and perhaps go back in time when the government would have some one dig a hole with a shovel, and another come by and fill it!!!! My grandad told me stories about that. It was a unemployment with a job.

 

[jake98]

The jobs that come with this is not just people working at ethanol plants, and or farms.

The jobs that come with this are taken from the people that would have had them by working in the real economy.

 

[Gary Fowler]

What is really depressing and should be illegal is the folks taking the subsidized gasoline and selling it at a reduced cost to foreign countries. THis was reported last year, and according to the story, there was nothing illegal about it. SO we were paying other folks to burn our cheaper subsidized gas.
As long as the government sets the prices for what a farmer can sell his product for, there will have to be subsidies. If we went to the old supply and demand, we would likely be feast or famine for lots of us and prices overall for food products would soar with the middleman taking all the profit while the farmer get little to nothing. True some big corporate farms take in a lot of subsidy money, but if it werent price controlled to an extent, who knows what we would pay for clothes and food.

 

[Charolais]

I have defended ethanol, and still do. The fact that ethanol is subsidized, took it off the farmers being paid to leave ground set idle. Ethanol has paid back greatly to the economics for many, including farmers, factories and so on. Most people say it is raising the price of food. Ha Ha!! I would bet if all the ethanol plants shut down right now, in the next 2 to 3 years the price will keep inflating.

When the price of corn drops afterwards, farm ground will go idle again and farmers will need more help, and so would the jobless of many who rely on the jobs. The jobs that come with this is not just people working at ethanol plants, and or farms.

I hope Willy Nelson gets his rolled cig out for another farm relief aid!!!! I am reminded we still have subsidies for oil companies to. How I know? GOP was bragging about it last election and they said it was good for the country. Maybe they are right. Ethanol is good for the country also.

Do you have any idea what ethanol did to the cattle market? We went from $1.30 per pound on feeder calves to 70 cent a pound on heifers and 80 cent on steers. Beef cattle inventory fell to 1958 levels. Fertilizer went from $230 per ton to over $700 per ton when corn went to $7 a bu. Diesel fuel went from 72 cent per gal. to close to $4 per gal. Machinery cost went through the roof too. Now I know all the increase wasn't due to ethanol but I also know it played a big part in it too.
If our country was serious about ethanol then from where I live south would have been in on the deal and not used corn for the ethanol. There are millions of acres of land that was used for tobacco that is idle today. Lots of it is just growing up in brush. All that land could have been used and the supply could have been on the east coast where it wouldn't have to be shipped so far. And think of the jobs created in farming. The $7 corn will leave the corn farmer and when it does they'll be left with high input cost that was mainly cause by ethanol. any time a farmer gets an increase in income the hands come out to get all they can of it.

 

[grnspot110]

I use ethanol, did before it was mandated in MO. But it isn't the total answer that it's played out to be! For one thing, too much control by the big oil companies.

As far as food price increase, just another "hoax" for meat prices! By-product of ethanol is still used for cattle feed. ~~ grnspot110

 

[Ford tractor]

I like the ending in the Fox news article better.



"So more than 10 years ago, Gore supported an expensive, 'not good policy' because he thought it would help him get elected president. Yet media don't believe he'd misrepresent the threat of manmade global warming in order to become extremely rich," Sheppard wrote Monday.



Read more: FoxNews.com - Report: Al Gore Reverses View on Ethanol, Blames Politics for Previous Support

 

[HiTechTed]

I like the ending in the Fox news article better.



"So more than 10 years ago, Gore supported an expensive, 'not good policy' because he thought it would help him get elected president. Yet media don't believe he'd misrepresent the threat of manmade global warming in order to become extremely rich," Sheppard wrote Monday.



Read more: FoxNews.com - Report: Al Gore Reverses View on Ethanol, Blames Politics for Previous Support

I wouldn't rely on Fox news for anything.

 

[TGF]

Unfortunately the mandate is not up for renewal this December. My guess is the GOP will shoot down giving farmers and ethanol refineries money.

As they should, if a product can't stand on its own, it shouldn't stand at all.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

While we all want to stop giving our energy dollars to those who may not love us we do need to look at options BUT with sound long term logic and not just knee jerk reactions that are self serving.:thumbsup:

 

[Duffster]

I wouldn't rely on Fox news for anything.

Care to point out anything in that article that is not reliable?