Disturbing trend due to bio-fuel development...
Biofuels threaten cheap beer in Germany
First, tortillas in Mexico, now beer in Germany will cost more as crop yields shift toward biofuel production. Brewers say they have no choice but to pass along the higher costs of barley, which has nearly doubled in price in a year. There was a poor harvest last year but many fields have been dedicated to biofuel production this year. Experts say the amount of land for barley is decreasing about five percent. With so much land going to biofuels, the beer makers want the government to stop offering subsidies.
First, tortillas in Mexico, now beer in Germany will cost more as crop yields shift toward biofuel production. Brewers say they have no choice but to pass along the higher costs of barley, which has nearly doubled in price in a year. There was a poor harvest last year but many fields have been dedicated to biofuel production this year. Experts say the amount of land for barley is decreasing about five percent. With so much land going to biofuels, the beer makers want the government to stop offering subsidies.
0
-
I'd post it if I could recall where I saw it but they are claiming that the push for bio fuels could be detrimental to our rainforests. In and effert to tap into the cash flow created by biofuels it is suggested and probably valid that many 3rd world nathions will decimate their rainforests in order to make room for crops suitable for biofuel production. Like I've said, its all about banance. change one thing for the good and you screw up another 0 -
quote:Originally posted by dakotashooter2
I'd post it if I could recall where I saw it but they are claiming that the push for bio fuels could be detrimental to our rainforests. In and effert to tap into the cash flow created by biofuels it is suggested and probably valid that many 3rd world nathions will decimate their rainforests in order to make room for crops suitable for biofuel production. Like I've said, its all about banance. change one thing for the good and you screw up another
Here you go dakota, this article is about just the topic you mentioned.
http://tinyurl.com/32cjau0 -
I think my truck consumes more than I do. I would be willing to pay more for beer than gas. An added bonus would be for the farmers and their kids. Less subdivisions and uncontrolled urban sprawl. They could make a good living without selling out to developers. 0 -
There's plenty of biomass available in the municipal dumps around this country to provide biodiesel, there's no need to grow and convert a crop or any land strictly to biofuel production.
The tortilla scare was hyped way out of proportion to it's real impact; tortillas are made with yellow corn, biofuel (and some gourmet popcorn) is made from white corn.
Sugar beets are a rapid-growing, hardy, good-for-biofuel crop that we can grow, but if (unlike Brasil) we run out of room for the barley farmers and the hops growers; we will have only 2-3 weeks of good beer before it's all domestic again.
And who wants to drink sugar beet beer?0 -
Somebody gave you some seriously incorrect information about those crops.[:)]
http://www.greatlakeshybrids.com/2006/06/07/corn-as-fuel-could-create-supply-concerns-during-drought/
http://www.tkfutures.com/corn.htm
http://www.ethanolmarket.com/corngrains.html0 -
One can modify the formula for Soylent Green slightly to make biofuel instead.
[}:)][:p]
Would really cut down on beaner funeral processions.......[:0]0 -
Not only that, but to get the crops necessary for biofuels, rainforests are being cleared for the needed land.
Looks like the Eurosocialists are starting to realize that you can't get something for nothing.0 -
DLRJJ,I visited the links about ethanol you posted, and there's a lot of references to conjectures from politicians about the results of using corn to make ethanol; if I can't believe 'em when they talk about politics, I really find it difficult to lend 'em credibility on biofuel.
Besides, if the biomass option were used, we'd not have to grow a stinkin' thing to harvest all that energy from the dumps.
The good thing about biomass is that there are myriad ways to get the energy in all its' forms; methanol, steam heat, smoke/gases from combustion, diesel, electricity from turning a turbine, etc.0 -
Dumps won't even come close to providing the volume we need, not even in the ballpark, sorry.
No. 2 yellow corn is used for the distillation process, and that's the key in those articles. I raise the stuff, and we have plants locally.
Here's another one on "yellow" corn.
http://www.agriculture.com/ag/story.jhtml;jsessionid=UOTUXVQBLDGMPQFIBQNSBHQ?storyid=/templatedata/ag/story/data/1168961791388.xml&catref=ag1001
Check this one on "food" corn.
http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/June04/Findings/MexicosCorn.htm
Here's a bit of information on corn types.
http://www.hormel.com/kitchen/glossary.asp?id=33194&catitemid=0 -
NUCLEAR
We need nuclear power for our energy needs. Clean, cheap, safe nuclear power is the answer.0 -
You hear about sugar beets quite often but I live in beet country and the local ethanol plant will not touch them for some reason. Many years we end up tilling under 8-10% of the crop because harvest quotas have been met. 0 -
It's a different process dakota.
Here's a cost study on different crops and fuel production.
http://www.zimmcomm.biz/images/usda/Ethanolsugar7-10-06.ppt#270,10,Estimated Ethanol Production Costs ($/gal)0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
12 comments