Continuing the old Debate

My Grandfather used to say “some people would complain if you hung them with a rubber rope.” Take the great ethanol debate. People the world over are looking for a replacement for fossil fuel, but when offered an alternative in corn ethanol, they complain that using corn for fuel will result in “taking food out of people’s mouths” and send food prices skyrocketing. The USDA is reporting that an expected 1.7 billion bushels of corn will be leftover after the 2009 growing season. The argument there’s a shortage of corn due to ethanol production tends to loose some of it’s validity in light of such a report. And while grain prices have fallen more than fifty percent from last years highs, retail food prices remain high; suggesting that retailers are using ethanol as a scapegoat while they continue to rake in high profits. Crude oil continues to contribute more to food production than corn. Most crops are harvested using diesel fuel, transported by gasoline operated vehicles and packaged using petroleum and plastics. Even when the growth, production and transportation of corn are taken into account the energy conversion remains positive.