Farmers Head to Fields to Plant Corn, Lots of It - New York Times
Reference The Omnivore's Dilemma (my review) which suggests that the economy will find new ways to consume more corn, via overfeeding the population, or as is the current rage, turn the corn into ethanol. The article claims that farmers will make $110 more an acre with the increase in corn prices. What it fails to mention is that the farmer will then draw less subsidy from the government thereby having little affect on the farmers bottom line. But maybe the farmer will get genetically enhanced corn that will yield more per acre, but then again, the genetically enhanced corn seed costs more than the regular.
Industry wins, the farmer continues to break about even, and the environment loses big time. Inject that nitrogen into the ground via chemical fertilizer that could be made (it will be made with fossil fuel based energy) with the ethanol that the corn may eventually become.
What would be truly interesting is a cost analysis of how much money is really spent on the full life cycle of the production of ethanol vs. gasoline. My guess is that ethanol is going to cost more "energy" and most likely more money. Cleaner burning yes, but little good that does for the polluted water supply that results from the chemical fertilization of the land.
Maybe ethanol isn't that alternative at all, and I'm not at all against looking for new options, I just think a more through consideration of consequences is appropriate.
