tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post4374522025397980494..comments2024-03-28T18:32:05.933-04:00Comments on bensozia: Ethanol in IowaJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037215533094998996noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-55394586718341562842016-01-23T19:26:56.451-05:002016-01-23T19:26:56.451-05:00A cousin of mine in Minnesota happily changed his ...A cousin of mine in Minnesota happily changed his entire farming regime from a mix of sheep, sunflowers and wheat to straight corn because of the subsidies. He changed in his complaints against Monsanto and now buys their hybrids. He seems satisfied with the rearrangement, but monoculture never promotes healthy ecosystems. Not as if *any* modern farming has promoted healthy ecosystems, but it's even worse with millions of gallons of Roundup being sprayed on Bt corn.<br /><br />Further, more energy is expended in producing ethanol than we get back from it. It is approximately 65% as energy-dense as gasoline, so one's fuel efficiency is lower with it than with pure gasoline.<br /><br />Due to corn products being cheap, we also find it in all sorts of products, edible and otherwise, that never had it before the subsidies. It pervades our food- and waste-stream. Midwestern universities have entire programs dedicated to promoting corn -- new and different and more economically dense uses for it.<br /><br />This simply entrenches us in a scheme that taxes everyone for the benefit of a few. I don't buy it.<br /><br />leifhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04097320643676830221noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-91407048087194628592016-01-21T12:47:54.752-05:002016-01-21T12:47:54.752-05:00Excellent and revealing article about agribusiness...Excellent and revealing article about agribusiness and how it's destroying the watersheds and waterways of Iowa-- with some good commentary on ethanol-- in the current issue of Harpers Magazine (no, not Harpars Bazaar!).pootrsoxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05975929246429466067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-26132425896728974352016-01-21T12:14:49.925-05:002016-01-21T12:14:49.925-05:00I for one would draw some comfort from a conservat...I for one would draw some comfort from a conservative who embraced ethanol subsidies. It shows the politician values negotiation and deal-making over intellectual consistency. Cruz, on the other hand, is a dangerous and rather frightening ideologue.Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08993570411881726772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-91855541888480129872016-01-21T10:03:35.995-05:002016-01-21T10:03:35.995-05:00Beggars can't be choosers.
If the only thing ...Beggars can't be choosers.<br /><br />If the only thing stopping farmers from taking "welfare" is their stubborn pride, why not let them fail? Once their money gets tight, I imagine those alternative "welfare" options will start to look a lot more attractive.G. Verlorennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-85570227992589810142016-01-21T09:33:34.565-05:002016-01-21T09:33:34.565-05:00Indeed our farm price supports are a foolish way t...Indeed our farm price supports are a foolish way to help farmers. But farmers hate anything that seems like "welfare." They say, "We don't want handouts, we just want a fair price." So what the government does is bid up or otherwise support the price, knowing that this subsidizes agribusiness corporations more than small farmers, because that is acceptable to farmers. It's hugely inefficient but we can afford it, so we do it.<br /><br />Lots of people would prefer to find some way to help family farmers without subsidizing agribusiness, but that has turned out to be very hard in practice.Johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01037215533094998996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-48364084134371735242016-01-21T08:22:19.878-05:002016-01-21T08:22:19.878-05:00If the goal is to give small scale farmers and the...If the goal is to give small scale farmers and their small town economies some money, why require them to produce an effectively worthless crop in order to receive it? Why not subsidize something useful instead?<br /><br />If we're concerned that helping small scale farmers overly benefits corporate megafarms, why not simply restructure the subsidies to only be available for small farmers and disqualify corporate interests?G. Verlorennoreply@blogger.com