USA is the world's largest producer of bioethanol.
Its production is about 13 million tonnes of corn - ethanol.
It requires almost 6 million hectares of corn (USA has 27 million hectares of corn...)...
Ethanol - corn industrial price is around 0.7 Us$/litre...

What do you think?

I think the only reason they are using corn is because of Monsanto.

GM Corn, Roundup Ready, Monsanto have a lot of control in the Government.

Sugar Beet would give twice the yield and still have the byproducts to feed to cow's etc.

From sources on the web Sugar Beet 412 Gallons acre to Corn 214 Gallons.

Less energy to grow and process as it is a sugar and not a starch.

Regards.

The problem of sugar beet is that it's voluminous(Probably.. it's 1 corn x 5 sugar beet for the same ethanol content...)
Probably it needs an agricultural machine that produces directly nectar.. etc...

While I know nothing about corn or sugar beet, I firmly believe that the growing of corn, in the USA, is more a political decision than an economic one (disregarding subsidies).

Regaerds,
Tony

Possibly that to be seen to be looking at bio fuels, they have gotten heavily behind one that will probably not work well, to the point where the average joe believes that all biofuels are ethanol made from corn. Of course when it doesnt work, it will be all biofuels dont work. Its like George W's family are all texan oilmen........

__________________
cheers
Chris.
1990 landcruiser 80, 1HD-T two tank, copper pipe HE+ 20 plate FPHE, toyota solenoids and filters. 1978 300D, elsbett one tank system.

Infact ethanol import is now subject to a tax of 54 cents a gallon...
However Bush in his Brazil visit said the tax would stay at least until its expiration in a few years...

The biofuel/food debate is not as clear cut as we are lead to believe.
I still think corn is a crazy way of creating biofuel compared to sugar cane however -
The corn is brewed and crushed and the major by product is brewers mash. This is used directly by cattle feed lots as feed. This is not a new idea. I had a friend with a dairy farm 40 years ago and brewers grain - by product of CUB was his main source of feed for his cows. It is important to see the larger picture and be aware of the whole process to understand the market and political pressures behind the process.

We live in confusing times and it’s hard to determine what the best way to go is.

In the early days the USA caused lots of problems dumping cheap food on the global economy killing off many farmers globally. In Mexico they’ve stopped growing corn because they couldn’t compete with the USA. Now we have a food crisis worldwide.

The UN wants to stop bio fuels, at the same time we need fuel to ship produce over the globe and surplus oil is running out.

It looks like LPG & coal will also increase in price along with other necessities. Coal is expected to reach $150 tonne this year.

We will see some big changes soon. I think we all have to learn to live within our own means, and go back to local communities.

Here in Tasmania, Australia, our apple farmers are going broke resulting in farming land being turned into housing. No one wants to farm the land that is then left idle and not used. Old growth forest is cut down for woodchips or pulp leaving thousands of hectors of land with 1000’s of tonnes of waste wood annually to be burnt off resulting in us living 3mths under a smoky haze.

I could go on and on. It’s time for a change.

Start at home, make a change and lead by example.
Maybe the politicians will follow.

Infact this Us decision to produce ethanol from corn raises food price...
Us takes corn from Mexico and raises its(also) corn price...
It's the market...
Why Us doesn't take sugar from Mexico?...
Mexico would have the advantage of producing electric energy from bagasse(as Thailand) at low costs...
Thailand government promotes sugar cane production, now it exports sugar and produces electric energy at low costs from bagasse(around 5% of its electric energy production)...
Evidently Us wants to protect its corn market...

It is complex however the relationship between fuel, food and water and the use of will give much debate into the future as all Three decline. Amazing the UN has not recognised this relationship earlier and the likelyhood that the UN can convince governments to convince companies to abandon the concept of a free market forces is not going to happen.

The reason beef feedlot produces like corn brewers grain is that it contains lots of protein and I do not think sugar beet would be comparable. Ch2 Landline had infomation on this on Sunday. Feedlot farms fit in with the American concept of big factory farms.

Tried to find the landline article but unable to. Like I said Scanlon, corn brewers grain is almost completely protein. Whether it be a chook broiler farm producing birds for the table or a beef feedlot protein is what gives the animals muscle/meat and corn residue is good for doing this. This also allows the big companies to control the feed market for producers. Sugar beet and cane residue do not contain much protein.

Whether it be water, fuel or food one can be converted to the other. With water you can grow more food. Fuel can be used to create more usable water etc. Government changes to the use of water are more likely to have a greater impact on food production than the use of biofuels in Australia.