Ysterday I received a forward from jackrabit1 on "Signs there might be an 'Ethanol Boom.'" At first I thought it might be a tip on a breaking news story: new ethanol plant in Lake County? Hyperion abandons petroleum and decides to use Elk Point cornfields for raising corn? No such luck -- it was just jokes:
- **Buying cornflakes at the grocery store now requires finding a clerk with the key to open the cabinet.
- **Sorry, kids - no soccer this summer. Playing fields will now be planted to corn to pay the city's debt.
- **Think that's funny, golfers? You're next.
And so on. I got ready to hit Delete, but then realized this e-mail meant something. You've read previous posts here raising concerns about the impact of growing ethanol production on pheasant habitat, food prices, and water quality. Evidently, seeing ethanol in a context broader than quick profit for farmers and refiners is becoming more common. At the point where a concept can become the subject of a commonly circulated joke e-mail, that concept has apparently changed from arcane academic topic to subject of more general public awareness... and that's probably a good thing.
You're Welcome! LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks, jackrabit1! Good ideas can come from anywhere.
ReplyDeleteCheck out this WSJ article from this past week, talking a bit about the ethanol industry, and mentions our own Verasun Energy. Only days later, Verasun announced it was halting construction on one of its plants.
ReplyDeleteThere's a glut of ethanol on the market right now. If your car takes E85 (the 85 percent ethanol blend) you can get it pretty cheap.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is, corn is expensive.
So the input costs are up and profits are down. Uh oh.