POSTED BY: Lee (March 27, 2007 11:27 AM)
I think this is good for farmers and a way for them to come back and make money again. The Government has been cruel to Farmers and has put thousands of Farms out of business. We use to be a country that was able to feed ourselves,all the farmers are going out of business and now we depend more and more on Foreign countries to feed us. I hope ethenol becomes more popular and easier to get in all states, oil and gas wont be around for ever and myself I am tired of depending on foreign countries for our oil and gas supplies and wondering what price they will put on it, which greatly impacts this country and others. Lets dont go knocking this down just because were not use to the change and of things better to come of this product.

POSTED BY: Curt (March 27, 2007 07:32 PM)
This is a cruel irony to those "big oil" haters out there. Now we can enjoy higher food prices to go with our high gas prices! Lets quit wasting time and tap the oil we have here in the U.S. before Cuba, Mexico, and Canada gets it all. New, efficient, clean refineries and auto engines are what will keep America moving forward, not starving children. Whats next, "Big Farmers?"

POSTED BY: Heywood (March 27, 2007 07:48 PM)
This will not prove good for anyone... the environment will see limited if any positive impact from ethanol. It is less efficient than gasoline so consumers will see their MPG drop and will feel the pinch from both higher prices at the pump and having to buy more. Our dependency on oil from the world's hotspots will not decrease substantially. And, the price of everything from breakfast cereal to meat to coca-cola is going to increase dramatically in the next years because of this. Just take a peek in your pantry and look at all the things that are made with corn or a corn derivative. Speaking of the environment: the general acceptance that humans are the cause of global warming is the single greatest mass delusion since people were convinced that ingesting pop rocks and coke simulataneously is fatal. We are going to look back 25 years from now and it's all going to have been a fabrication based on junk science for the benefit of the few. It has already happened: do some homework and learn why no one talks about the hole in the ozone anymore... that now it's all about "global warming." Like my mother always says: "if God didn't want them sheared he wouldn't have made them sheep."

POSTED BY: Kirt (March 27, 2007 08:16 PM)
Ok folks now for a bit of reality. First; it cost more in energy to produce a gallon of ethanol than we get from that gallon. It's only practical because of government money! Second the US Farmers have always produced more food than we can consume in the US. That’s why there are exports of farm goods. I wish we could produce ethanol at a lower energy cost so we could really use less non renewable resources. Like Brazil does but they can get a net positive on energy because they produce it from sugar cane and then burn the cane slag to produce allot of the electrical power needed for the production of the ethanol fuel. This will in no way reduce our dependencies on foreign oil. We need a multi faceted approach. Here are just a few ideas. First did you know that in the North West there are 4 almost completed (never having reactors installed) nuclear power plants that were mothballed years ago? These could be completed at a fraction of the cost of new ones. But rather than doing that the Federal government is paying to tear them down!! Only 3 left now. I know that the fuel they use is also a limited resource but it gets huge returns in energy for very little environmental pollution. It is also much safer than it was years ago. Technology has come along way in reactor design in the last 30 years. With three major power plants added to the grid most of the electrical energy needs on the west cost could be met with excess. This excess could be used to assist in the production of ethanol!! Things we will have to live with as more corn is diverted to ethanol. Will be the increase in the cost of many grocerie items that we need every day and this will burden the working poor more than anyone else. The bright side is John Deer and Caterpillar will do a booming business in new farm equipment sales. Also while I am at it did you know that all the major car manufacturers have been making multi fuel engines for years for export to Latin America? Just now they are starting to put them in US cars. Well this went on alot longer than I intended. Thanks.

POSTED BY: Bob (March 27, 2007 09:54 PM)
I agree with your second point on weaning oil addiction by supporting greater use of ethanol. Coupled with that should be policies that promote plug-in hybrid vehicles. I have to take issue with the first part. We do feed the world, never mind ourselves quite well, wouldn't you say? When it comes down to it, I'd rather NOT see my tax dollars go to a sugar farmer down in Louisiana to subsidize their inefficiency relative to importing it from the Caribbean. And the same can be said for several other ag commodities. Why should we subsidize the production of commodities! The only way we can compete in the world is by producing less labor-intensively - hence the Agricultural footprint is no longer that of family farmers but of large Corporate concerns. Just the way it is - or maybe not... ...I have just signed up to get 20 weeks worth of organic vegetables from my local farmer each week this summer.

POSTED BY: monty (March 27, 2007 10:46 PM)
I believe this will help our economy, by keeping money in the United States. Why buy foreign energy when we can produce it right here right now. I hope the farmers of America can take full advantage of this great oppurtunity for them.

POSTED BY: barbara (March 28, 2007 07:51 AM)
I guess any reason to raise prices on the most plentiful crop in America is a good reason! Humm, I wonder if that means that crude oil prices will come down since the demand will weaken? Don't lose site of the bouncing ball!