[TheForge] OT biodiesel

[schade at acegroup.cc]

Walt,

I wrote the writer of that article asking for more info. I'll let you 
know what I find out.

No doubt he is including the gas (fossil fuel) that is used to produce 
the anhydrous ammonia that fertilizer the corn. The times around the 
field to apply the anhydrous has to count too.

You would also have to include the gas (fossil fuel) price for the gas 
that is used to dry the corn also.

I ran across this site that may have some answers for the bio diesel 
questions.

http://forums.biodieselnow.com/

Bob
______

On May 26, 2005, at 9:12 AM, Walter Mullett wrote:

> Bob,
>
> I visited the site you've listed and this guy's numbers just didn't 
> jive
> with what I know.  I've got 40A and I lease part of it to a farmer for 
> corn
> and beans and it sure doesn't come close to what this guy says.
>
> On the site you reference, it says:  "An acre of U.S. corn ....requires
> about 140 gallons of fossil fuels and costs $347 per acre, according to
> Pimentel's analysis."
>
> Where does he get that number???? 140 gal / acre .... that gets your
> attention but it's way off.  I run over my 10A hay fields more time 
> than it
> takes to raise corn and if I needed 140 gal/A to do that, my 5 gal 
> cans of
> gas would explode from over use!  My neighbor farms close to 1,000 
> acres.
> He would need a pipeline to his farm.
>
> In Central Illinois, 2001 corn yields were gross income of about 
> $310/A and
> for the combined costs of machinery repair, fuel, and hire costs the 
> number
> was $32/A.  Granted, that number is 2001 but have fuel costs gone up 
> 10X
> since then?  I don't think so!
>
> I didn't read any further in the report.  Maybe the guy has some good 
> points
> but inflating numbers to meet his ideas just makes me mad.
>
> Walt
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net
> [mailto:theforge-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of 
> schade at acegroup.cc
> Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 10:14 PM
> To: Sponsored by ABANA
> Subject: Re: [TheForge] OT biodiesel
>
> I wouldn't be surprised that the SD Corn Growers Association would be 
> pro
> ethanol. But some others are less enthusiastic about it (and more
> objective).
>
> http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/Aug01/corn-basedethanol.hrs.html
>
> The way I see it they are already planting corn everywhere they can.
> Raising the price of corn will have farmers plowing erodable hillsides 
> with
> tractors burning oil to plant more corn using petroleum based 
> fertilizers.
> Goodbye topsoil. Conservation (or taking over oil rich
> countries) is the only answer to the oil problem and no one wants to 
> talk
> about that.
>
> Bob
> _____
>
> On May 25, 2005, at 8:45 PM, Walter Mullett wrote:
>
>> Like almost all new ideas, first editions are expensive and
>> inefficient.
>> That is where government should step in and has somewhat.  I think
>> looking
>> for alternative fuels is a must and biodiesel and ethanol are good
>> ideas
>> that hold promise.
>>
>> You say that these plants do not make profits.  This site
>>  http://www.sdcorn.org/sdcorn/ethanol/default.asp
>> says they are returning 33% return on investment.  I would love 33%.
>
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