Economic effect of Biodiesel
Posted on Jul 27, 2007 - 9:50am by Wayne Weisser in Biodiesel, Economy
Biofuels can’t make us energy independent by themselves. But is that the goal? Personally, I would love to be completely energy independent, but the demand may be too great that we will have to import something to support our energy program.
Where would the corn come from for ethanol plant?
A proposed ethanol plant here could require 80 million bushels of corn each year – almost double what Virginia produced in 2006.
Since the state can’t meet the enormous demand, plant developer International Bio Energy Virginia LLC plans to bring in most of its corn from the Midwest and even South America.
Farmers in the Midwest, where much of the country’s corn is produced, have enjoyed one of the biggest economic benefits as the number of ethanol plants has increased. They have profited from rising corn prices and are saving money by sending grain to nearby ethanol refineries.
I love the idea of Biofuel but if it’s going to mess with our farming programs (which are already screwed up, thanks to government intervention) I’m not sure it’s the best idea
The ethanol plant could cause Chesapeake farmers to plant fewer acres of soybeans and more corn if they decide it’s worth the risk, Lawrence said.
“The increased need for corn will probably be a catalyst for the farm economy,” he said. “There will be more acres going into corn.”
The price of corn went from $1.50 per 56-pound bushel to $4 a bushel in just six months. Farmers also saved money by trucking the grain to the ethanol plant down the street instead of paying thousands of dollars to ship it to Minnesota.
But the article did go on to say that Virginia didn’t produce the quantities that is grown in the Midwest, maybe it’s a local phenomena or a sign of things to come.
Have you tried Bio in your truck yet? I need to get a couple more fuel filters on hand before I put some in the first time.
RSS feed for comments on this post | Trackback URI
We're on Twitter!
Farm programs are the least of your worries when it comes to Biomass fuels.
I live in north central Iowa. There are currently about 100 biofuel plants in operation or in the building stages in our neck of the woods. (see the website http://www.manlyterminal.com and click on the strategic location link on the top right to see where the current plants are located. I live 40 miles from this terminal.)
Rising corn prices have an effect on virtually all areas of life, especially, as you would imagine, food prices. The biofuel plants craving for corn threatens a shortage of corn syrup, animal feeds and a whole host of other things used daily in the processing of foodstuffs worldwide. So much corn is being siphoned off to the biofuel plants that shortages of raw material (corn) is maybe a larger looming problem than the price of the corn itself.
We have used ethanol for years, but I do not use it in my small engines (lawn mowers, snoblowers, etc.) It is very hard on small engine carbs. I have friends who used ethanol in their small engines and had to rebuild the carbs every year.
I also use biodiesel where available. Except in winter. Until I am convinced they have solved the gelling issues with biodiesel I won’t use it in cold weather. I have used it quite a bit this spring and summer and have had no detrimental effects as of yet. No plugged filters, no performance problems. I treat it like I do ULSD, quite heavily.
I’m finding that out, I just found out about the rising cost of Vitamin C out of China because of rising corn syrup prices. Which is on my site at http://truckingblog.net
i always use Biodiesel on my car to help the environment. Biodiesel is cleaner and is reneweable..;`